Say Something
by Psychi Amore
Summary: During their sixth year at Hogwarts Draco and Hermione found something in each other they didn't know they needed. A friend. But, nearly 7 years later Hermione refuses any idea of Draco Malfoy. What happens when she finds him in Harry and Ginny Potter's kitchen for their anniversary? Will their friendship immediately rekindle or will Draco have to prove himself to her?
1. Chapter 1: And I Will Swallow My Pride

**My first fanfiction on this account. I figured I'd start with Dramione. I hope you guys like it.  
**

**Title is based off of the song _Say Something_ by A Great Big World**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Harry Potter Characters. **

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**Chapter 1: And I Will Swallow My Pride**

Walking through the halls of the grand castle, he heard a loud sob then a thud. Quickly the Head Boy rushed toward the sound. He stopped just outside one of the spare classrooms where he located the owner of the weeping. Peering slightly into the room, the boy looked to see his enemy sobbing in the corner. She slammed her fist against the wall again as her cries continued. Her long hair, which had been recently tamed, was now puffed in many different directions giving the tearful girl an even more disheveled look.

With an annoyed sigh, the Head Boy walked into the room towards the crying girl. She was bawling so loud she didn't even hear him. It wasn't until he sat down next to her that she felt his eyes. Pulling her face up, she saw the blond haired Slytherin staring down at her with a look of confusion and he was clearly torn. A groan escaped her lips and she pressed her face back into her hands wishing she was dead as she was now crying in front of her nemesis, Malfoy.

"What's wrong Granger?" He asked. Trying to hide the concern he had in his voice he continued, "Get a bad grade in a class?" She didn't respond, however, and continued to cry. "H—Hermione…" His voice now wavered as he saw her sob. Not knowing what else to do, the blond headed boy put his arm around Hermione as a sign of comfort. Instead of tensing up and pushing him away like he expected, she turned her body toward him and began to cry into his chest. Her tears, now staining his brand new robes, didn't falter as they fell.

He rubbed her back without hesitation, as if it were his normal instinct. Before he knew it, both of his arms were around the bushy haired witch comforting her in her breakdown. He whispered words to soothe her like: "You're okay," "You're going to be okay."

Finally, after what seemed like hours, she pulled away from him and looked up. Her cheeks were stained with tears and makeup, eyes were shiny from being wet, and trembling lips turned down to a frown.

"Why are you _here_?" her voice squeaked as she spoke at last. "You hate me and I hate you." This had given him a perfect chance to insult her. It was true. He had hated the bushy haired muggle sitting in front of him, but he couldn't help but break as he felt her crying in his arms. These were new feelings for the Slytherin, as he never cared for any muggle-born in his life. However, he could not let these feelings go on and with that he pushed them down.

"I couldn't help but watch as you cried. It's quite entertaining if I say so myself. What happened? You finally came to terms with being a mud—"The blond haired boy's throat closed. He couldn't say it. The name he had called her so many times for all these years wouldn't leave his mouth. Not knowing if it was because she was looking up at him with her big brown eyes, or the fact that he for one second he had the thought of caring for her in his head, the boy stood up. "It doesn't matter Granger. I'm not going to be here any longer." He turned and walked towards the door but his steps stopped as he heard two words leave her cracked lips.

"Thank you." She whispered, not realizing he heard her until his steps paused. He whirled back around to look at her. His eyes weren't angry, they weren't rough, they didn't have a hint of the hostility they normally had in them. Instead, the glowing grey eyes he had were filled with uncertainty.

She stood and walked towards him. He didn't step back like his mind screamed for him to do. Her mind begged her to run through the door instead of toward the one person she loathed most. Stopping as she stood in front of him she stared into his mystified eyes.

"Thank you, Draco." Her mouth felt weird forming the word that was his name. She said it rarely and had usually gotten ill at the thought of it. Hermione's hand rose up to touch his face and was surprised to see he didn't flinch, but before she reached it she stopped. The girl from Gryffindor's hand ached to touch him, but her brain finally took control and she stopped herself. Quickly her mind regained focus and she rushed out of the door behind him, leaving him to think about what had just happened.

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**I know it's a short chapter, but it's setting up the story. **

**Let me know what you think! **


	2. Chapter 2: Just Starting to Crawl

**Hello. I'm trying to update every Wednesday. I know I'm a little late today and I'm quite sorry.  
I hope you like it. Let me know. I'm really bad at beginning a story so feedback would be helpful. **

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Chapter 2: Just Starting to Crawl

Smoothing her black, skater skirt to get rid of the wrinkles, Hermione fixed herself nervously as she looked into the floor length mirror. Her pale blue sweater had a few creases in it that she also straightened out.

Today was Ginny and Harry's anniversary party. They had been together for five years and still seemed so in love, with their son, James, who was soon to be four, as proof.

Normally, Hermione went to the Potter's parties with ease and never cared if her skirt was perfect or how much leg she showed in it. However, she and Ron, her boyfriend of five years—also her and Harry's best friend, and Ginny's brother—had broken up a few months ago. This would be the first time she would see him or any of his family, including Ginny and Harry since that day. She remembered the heartbreak and frowned into the mirror.

_Rushing up to the redheaded figure, Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and attempted to kiss his cheek. But Ron quickly pulled away from her before her lips made contact. She found this odd but didn't say anything as she figured he was just in a mood. Lately, he had been distant and rude towards her. Her conclusion was that something was going on at work that he wasn't happy about. _

_"Thank you for meeting me on such short notice, Hermione." He said with a proper tone._

_"Why are you being so formal?" She asked confused as he let out a sigh. _

_"I was going to tell you over lunch, but I knew if I did you would have thrown something at me…" He glanced away from her not wanting to break the news while staring into her brown eyes. Hermione cocked an eyebrow as she stared at him. _

_"What are you talking about?" _

_"Hermione," he began. "We've been dating for a long time."_

_"Five years," she replied with a proud smile._

_"Yeah, well recently I've been thinking about where our relationship is headed," her heart began to race and she wondered if this was the day she'd been waiting for. Would Ron finally ask her to marry him? "I fell in love with you because I saw a passion you had for school and making sure you helped Harry save the world. You still have that passion for work and when you read." He fiddled with his hands, "But you don't have enough passion for me, it seems." His voice was hesitant as he tried not to look his girlfriend in the face. Hermione didn't seem to understand what he was saying. They definitely had passion, whether it was a night on the town at a fancy restaurant, or an evening inside in their bed. _

_"You don't think we have passion?" she asked now looking down at his hands as they twitched. "I don't understand…"_

_"Hermione, I love you, but I'm not in love with you anymore." Ron whispered still not looking her in the eye. "You and I want different things now." Now she looked up at him confused. _

_"What do you want that I don't?" Her voice was shaky. _

_"I want to travel the world as an auror, meet new people, live a little."_

_"We can travel. Meeting new people is great, I'm up for it. We do live!" She couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Why didn't he love her anymore?_

_"Hermione, you're… you're too boring for my life style." Her eyebrows furrowed angrily as her look to him changed into a hostile glare. "You do what's expected of you. I need a risk taker."_

_"I'm _boring_?" She pushed him back angrily. "Ron! You sit at home and drink beer when you're not working! I'm the one that initiates us going out! I may not be the one that starts the shagging but that isn't the only thing that's supposed to matter!" The angry girl let out a huff, "You're right. I have done what's expected of me. I was expected to pick either you or Harry in the end, wasn't I? I didn't take a risk and pick outside of the 'Golden Trio,' so thank you for teaching me I made a big mistake."_

_"Hermione… I'm sorry." He didn't say anything else. She couldn't believe it. Letting out an annoyed groan, she shook her head. _

_"No Ron, I'm sorry I didn't see how much of prat you were sooner." With that, she stormed away with her brown hair bouncing with her rage. _

Pushing a curl out of her face, Hermione was still staring into the mirror. She had broken off all contact with the Weasleys and the Potters as she mourned. Breaking up with Ron didn't make her lose any love for the rest of his family, but she couldn't bear to hear any of them talk about the break up while she had still been emotional about it. So when she had gotten her invitation for the party a couple of weeks ago, she figured it would be the perfect time to see her friends and family again.

Grabbing their present and walking towards the fire place, Hermione took some floo powder from the top and threw it in shouting for the Burrow. She appeared in the Weasley's fire place and heard the jingle letting them know of her arrival.

"Who is it? Who is it?" A small voice shouted from the kitchen. Two boys rushed into the living room to see Hermione standing there with a grin on her face. The older one wore jeans and a grey button down shirt. His hair was neon blue today as he seemed to sport a new color every time Hermione saw him. The younger one wore faded jeans and a plaid button down. He looked exactly like his father with brown hair, long enough to fall into his face. "Aunt 'Mione!" James screamed and ran toward her. "I haven't seen you in forever!" the boy shouted as he jumped into her arms.

"I know James, I'm sorry it's been so long. How have you been?" He smiled wide and pointed to his mouth.

"I lost a tooth! Mum says the muggle fairy will come and take it," he leaned in close and whispered, "but I know daddy and she take the tooth and hide a few Sickles under my pillow." Hermione couldn't help but let out a laugh. Teddy walked over to her, as James jumped out of her arms, and hugged her.

"Aunt Hermione! I'm glad you're back. I didn't want you to miss me going to Hogwarts." Teddy Lupin, son of Harry and Hermione's friends Remus and Tonks—who died in the war—was growing up so fast for Hermione. He was brilliant, just as his parents were. The boy's vocabulary exceeded any ten year olds but he liked games and pranks, just as his father's friends. Like his mother, Teddy was a metamorphmagus. He could change what he looked like with merely a thought.

"Teddy! You still have a year until you go to Hogwarts! I was only gone for three months," Hermione giggled and ruffled the young boy's hair. He shrugged and hugged her again.

"I also got an owl! Mum says I should learn to use him now since I'll need it in Hogwarts! His name is Buckie!" Hermione giggled at the boy's excitement. "I'm going to use him to play tricks on Victorie."

"Theodore Lupin you will do no such thing!" A high voice said behind him.

She looked up to see red headed, thin figured Ginny in a green blouse and skinny jeans and dark haired Harry with his circular glasses in a brown sweater and jeans smiling at her from the doorway in the kitchen. Harry walked towards her and wrapped his arms around her too.

"It's good to see you again Hermione." He said. She nodded agreeing. Harry was Hermione's best friend. They had gone through it all together, growing up at Hogwarts, saving the world for the Dark Lord Voldemort, and dealing with the aftermath of the second war. Harry and Hermione told each other everything. It had killed her not to talk to him daily the last three months and she was so glad to finally be talking to him again. Ginny stepped over too and hugged her tightly.

"If you ever stop talking to me again, I will apparate into your apartment and slap some sense into you," the redhead teased. "I've missed talking to you."

"I know I want to apologize to you both. I was stupid for cutting off contact but I just had to…" Harry held up his hand to stop her from continuing.

"You don't have to apologize or explain. We completely understand." He said sternly. Ginny nodded agreeing with her husband. "We didn't pursue it further because we knew you needed some time to regroup."

"You missed a lot while you were out of contact with us." Ginny said, glancing over at the kitchen. Hermione seemed confused following her gaze. But before Hermione could question her friend's actions, her legs were grabbed by James.

"Aunt 'Mione! I have a new best friend!" At this Harry and Ginny glanced at each other cautiously. Hermione didn't say anything as she noticed their looks. "You should come meet him!" James grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the kitchen. She allowed the young boy to lead her. When she entered the kitchen her legs froze and she wouldn't move an inch.

Pacing back and forth with his head down was Draco Malfoy. His hair was a lot shorter with the front spiked up but it was still the bright blond he always had. He was much taller since the last time she'd seen him as he wore a khaki blazer, a blue button down shirt, and dark jeans. The blazer and shirt hugged his torso leaving little to the imagination. What really surprised her, though, was that his face looked healthy. His eyes no longer had dark circles under them and now held brightness within them.

Draco looked up to see the brunette and the youngster standing in the kitchen entrance. His eyes scanned her as he took in the pale sweater with the black skirt and he couldn't help but notice how perfect her legs looked, especially since the black heels she wore made her look taller and much more elegant. As soon as he saw his childhood enemy, he couldn't peel his eyes away from the beautiful woman standing in front of him.

"_Malfoy_," she couldn't help but hiss as she stared at him. "Why are you _here_?" His eyes flashed from the memories as he stared at her.

"Mummy and Daddy are cel… cele…" the boy clearly had trouble with the word as his face scrunched up.

"Celebrating," Draco enunciated for the boy, however, his eyes never left Hermione's.

"Yeah that! He's been helping them too! He brought cookies and cakes." Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing from the young boy. Draco was helping Harry and Ginny? He hated them. "Aunt 'Mione! Hug my new friend!" James rushed behind Hermione and pushed her forward so she was directly in front of Draco.

"James, don't be rude!" Ginny scowled at her son. Hermione hadn't noticed that Harry, Ginny, and Teddy followed her into the kitchen as well. James looked back at his mother sheepishly and nodded his head. "James, let's go give grandma a hand and let Draco and Hermione catch up." He grabbed his mother's hand and followed his parents and brother outside after quickly waving goodbye to Draco.

There were a few moments of silence as Hermione and Draco stared at each other. Neither knew what to say to the other.

Finally Draco decided that the quiet was unbearable, so he cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head nervously.

"How've you been Granger?" He asked but she just stared. What was she supposed to say? She'd been crying for the last three months. That's not something she'd like to break the ice with.

"Why are you _here_?" she probed again, blatantly ignoring his question.

"You ask that a lot." He said with the same amount of hostility she had. Courageously, Draco stepped towards her to where they were almost touching. "Harry and I are friends now Granger. I didn't expect it either but that means we have to get along." She glared at him. Getting along with him was the last thing she wanted to do.

"That's impossible!" she snapped back and for some reason his eyes softened.

"We've done it before…" At this she let out a breath, thinking about their sixth year at Hogwarts.

_Hermione tried to stay away from Draco after he had witnessed her breakdown in the spare classroom. However, whenever they ran into each other now he didn't call her a mudblood. It usually consisted of "filthy muggle-born" or "Granger." Usually he left the mudblood to his minions, Theodore Nott and Pansy Parkinson. _

_Standing in the library as she normally did, Hermione scanned the stacks searching for anything to help her study for her next Herbology exam. That was when she heard a small cry in the aisle in front of her. Quietly, she moved to peer around the shelf and look at the owner of the cry. Hunched over on one of the stools used to reach the higher shelves, sat Draco Malfoy, and though his back was to her she could see his shoulders shake gently as he let out silent tears. She backed up, not wanting him to catch her, however, her steps stopped as she stared at him._

_Reluctantly, Hermione walked back towards the crying Slytherin, placed a hand on his shoulder and felt him tense from underneath her touch. Quickly, Draco jumped up and turned to look at her while swiftly pulling his sleeve down over his left forearm. With a hiss, he glared at Hermione wondering why she touched him. _

_"What do you want, Granger?" He jeered and wiped his face harshly._

_"Well… I—I noticed you were crying." She stammered. "I just thought I'd return the favor." Before she could process what he was doing, he grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the library towards a spare classroom with many passing by students staring. It wasn't every day they saw Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger touching. As he closed the door behind them, shutting out any onlooker, he wheeled around and looked at the girl he insulted nearly every day. _

_"You don't need to return any favors. Like I said the other day, I just wanted to watch you cry because I find it amusing." His eyes narrowed into a glare but she didn't seem fearful of the deadly look. _

_"So you also found it amusing to put your arms around me and tell me it was okay?" Hermione always knew how to fight back with Draco, though he hurt her many times when he called her a mudblood, she still took on his challenges. Draco clearly saw her power too, as he didn't know what to say to the confident bushy haired girl in front of him. _

_Without a word, Hermione moved towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck. At first, the Slytherin boy tensed, as he had never been given a hug by someone as warm as her. Draco didn't think as he also wrapped his arms around her and nestled his face within her thick hair. Before he could process what was going on, the tears returned to his face and he let out his sadness. _

_"It's going to be okay." She whispered now, just as he had a few days prior. "Whatever happens, you're going to be okay." Draco continued to cry and couldn't believe he had stooped so low as to show his emotions in front of his enemy. _

_After he allowed the tears out, Hermione pulled back slightly and looked at him. His face gave way to the fear he had and she wondered what was going on. _

_"What happened?" She whispered. _

_"Why were you crying the other day?" Draco asked instead, ignoring her question. She figured he wouldn't tell her, because even though he had just cried into her hair, Draco Malfoy was a very reserved boy. _

_Hermione spilled everything about seeing Ron and Lavender snogging in the Common Room and how Ron had treated her like she was a bint. Seeing the Gryffindor girl freely tell him her problems made it easier as Draco soon explained why he was upset. His father had forced him to join the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord didn't trust him one bit. _

_After they shared their problems with each other, Draco and Hermione sat on the floor of the spare classroom just talking. Their conversation stemmed from classes to teachers, friendships to enemies, and even their lives outside of Hogwarts. Draco was so amazed by her muggle life and he couldn't help but yearn to try that life style at least once before he died. He didn't understand why, but she caught him at his most vulnerable time, and he was glad she had. _

_"I should get going I have a Prefect meeting with Ron." She said and stood up. _

_"That weasel," Draco sneered as he followed her lead and got up. _

_"He may be a weasel but you're a ferret." She joked but her laugh was soon stuck in her throat as he moved in closer to her. His face inches from her._

_"I ought to turn you into a ferret and see how you like it." He said then allowed a smile to appear on his face to show her he was joking as well. Hermione laughed again and pushed him back._

_"If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm usually in the library, just… give me the book _Hogwarts, A History,"_ She said with a smile, "then I'll know to meet you here."_

_"No." Draco replied quickly. His blunt reaction caused Hermione to furrow her eyebrows and Draco couldn't help but let out a laugh at her face. "I mean, let's meet in the Room of Requirement." She agreed and they parted ways, each with a smile on their face realizing that they had just made a friend._

"No." Hermione said to her enemy. "You think you can just waltz back in here and pretend like nothing happened?" She snapped. "I don't know how you got Harry and Ginny to trust you but I know you have some sort of plan to take them down." He watched as she stepped back. The mystified look that covered her face screamed at him. "I won't let you hurt them like you hurt me."

"Hermione, I didn't mean to hurt you." He reached out to touch her but she backed up further. This made him angry for reasons he didn't know. "Why are you being so stubborn? Your friends can trust me! Golden boy, Harry Potter, the last man I'd ever expect to, trusts me!"

"And that's _exactly_ what you want! It's all part of a plan, I know it is! Just like forcing me to trust you in our sixth year." Draco reeled back from this comment as if she had slapped him.

"What did I gain by you trusting me our sixth year?" He hissed. "It's not like being friends with you benefitted me any other way than having someone to talk to!"

"Please stop yelling!" A voice behind Hermione pleaded. They both turned to look at the ten year old Teddy standing in the doorway of the kitchen with a scared look on his face. "Mum said to come get you because she hoped you weren't killing each other." As soon as Teddy said it he erupted into a fit of giggles. "You two are as red as mum's hair." The boy continued to laugh as he walked out of the room.

"I'll be cordial with you," she growled not looking at him, "but if you slip up and make me believe you're going to hurt Harry, Ginny, or either of those boys, trust me Malfoy, you'll wish you had stayed a Death Eater." With a click of her heels, she left him in the kitchen to mull over what she had said.

The backyard of the Burrow was transformed just as it had been the night of Bill, Ginny's older brother, and Fleur, his wife's, wedding. A white, grand tent had covered most of the yard with a long table with many chairs underneath. Molly Weasley, Ginny's mother, was hanging up a few lanterns for when it got dark. When she looked up to see the brown haired witch walk outside she squealed and rushed over to her, enveloping Hermione into her tight hug.

"Dear girl I've missed you!" Molly squeaked. "Don't ever feel like you have to give us up because of my stupid son. You're so beautiful. We'll find you a new man in no time." Hermione blushed and nodded her head. She didn't know what it was about Molly, maybe the motherly factor, or that she'd always been there for Hermione, but whenever Molly fawned over her she was embarrassed. "I'm sure some boy here tonight is single and dying to take you out." Draco cleared his throat behind them making Hermione jump.

"Molly," he said with a smile and kissed her hand. Mrs. Weasely blushed and pulled Draco into a hug as well.

"It's good to see you again, Draco. I feel like it's been forever!" She cooed. Draco himself let out a chuckle at the woman's statement.

"Ah Molly, we just saw each other yesterday." Hermione let out an angry gasp at what the Slytherin man had said. He was friends with Molly too? Her blood curdled as she thought about what his plan was getting so close to all the Weasleys. However, as Mrs. Weasley turned back to Hermione she smiled again trying to be, as she promised, cordial.

The party picked up as more people began to arrive at the Burrow. Hermione caught up with old friends like Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, and Luna Lovegood. They all had heard about her breakup as they treated her like she was a new born child, sneaking around any question that had to do with Ron.

Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione watched Draco and how he interacted with everyone. She was surprised to see him sitting by himself most of the time, only to get up and greet people as they arrived. However, when George arrived, it was like seeing his brother. He shot up from the chair and rushed over to give him a handshake and a pat on the back. They immediately started talking and laughing like old friends, as if Draco had always been around. This puzzled Hermione as she couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. How was he doing it? How did they all seem to fall under his spell?

She needed answers. Knowing exactly who would tell her everything, Hermione quickly excused herself from the conversation between Neville and Seamus and made her way towards Harry. He jumped a little as she grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the house.

"Jeez, Hermione, I was talking to Oliver!" The brown haired boy complained and rubbed his wrist when she let it go.

"Why do you trust Malfoy?" Her words escaped before she could even think about what to say. "He's done so many evil things, Harry! That boy has given us no reason to trust him from the moment he was given that Dark Mark." Harry just crossed his arms and smirked. "What?" She snapped at his amusement.

"Hermione, you trusted him when he had the Dark Mark." It wasn't an accusatory statement. Instead, Harry said it very matter-of-factly. "In fact, if I'm not mistaken, you started trusting him merely days after he had received it." At first, Hermione didn't know how to respond to Harry. He had made a very valid point.

"Harry, that's just it! I trusted him! Remember how I ended up?" Harry nodded his head, recalling the time when Hermione had come into the Common Room in tears. She hadn't explained what was wrong until a few years later, but that didn't mean he had forgotten the pain she felt. "Please Harry, just be careful." Hermione begged her best friend. He nodded again. "When did you guys start getting all chummy anyway?"

"He's working for the ministry." Harry replied. "Kingsley is giving him a new department in the Ministry." Hermione was confused. Kingsley Shacklebolt had been named Minister of Magic after the second war. He hated Death Eaters and sought to make sure they all were punished for their actions. Why would he give Draco his own department in the Ministry?

"I haven't seen him around though." She knew she had locked herself in her office the last few months, only coming out to leave or use the bathroom but with an assistant that knew all the gossip, she hadn't missed out on everything that was going on.

Before Harry could respond there was a loud shout from the living room of a familiar voice announcing his entrance. Hermione stepped back from Harry and nervously looked around the corner to see Ron standing by the fire place with none other than Lavender Brown. Her mouth dropped slightly in surprise. Ron was back with Lavender. Harry let out a heavy sigh as he saw his other best friend.

"You go to the kitchen and relax, I'll lead them outside." Harry said resting his hand on her arm. She nodded and quickly made her way into the kitchen.

Leaning her body against one of the counters, Hermione couldn't help but let out a deep groan. Today had been more emotionally taxing than she had expected. Not only did she have to worry about Ron running around, but now she had to deal with Lavender and Draco. She didn't know if it could get any worse.

"Ah, you're in here too." A voice said next to her and she turned to see Draco walking into the kitchen with a glass of fire whisky in his hand. Hermione couldn't stop herself from letting out another groan at the sight of the Death Eater. "You're not the only one hiding from Weasley." He said clearly pretending like he didn't hear her displeasure. "And that bloody fiancé of his, she's worse."

With a gasp, Hermione looked over at her blonde haired nemesis. Draco was confused as to why she had looked so surprised. Everyone had known that Ron and Lavender had gotten engaged three months ago. The only way someone wouldn't have known is if they had hidden themselves away with little contact…

"Shite, Granger, I'm sorry I thought you knew!" He rested his hand on her arm, with worried eyes scanning her face for any sign of emotion other than pure shock. Her eyes were now glazed as she stared at him. "Hermione," He placed his drink down on the counter next to her and pressed his hand to her cheek. Finally coming to her senses, Hermione pulled back from the Slytherin man's touch. His other hand, however, was still on her arm, but he wouldn't move it for fear she'd pull away even further.

"When did it happen?" Her words were slow and calculated. No matter how much she denied it, he knew her, and he knew this was her way of not breaking down again.

"A few days after you broke up," he whispered wishing he had the guts to lie to her instead of telling her, her worst nightmare. "Hermione," his lips uttered again as he stared at the brave girl from Gryffindor slowly begin to crumble before him.

"Malfoy," she replied without her normal hostility when she said his surname. To his surprise she pulled on the lapels of his khaki blazer, so he would step closer, lips nearly touching. "Make me forget tonight." Her whisper trembled against his skin as she stared into the storms she had know to be his eyes. "Get me a drink."

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**I hope you all enjoyed. **

**Let me know what you think. I hope to have the next chapter up by next Wednesday as well. Thanks. :)**


	3. Chapter 3: And I Will Stumble And Fall

**I know, I'm a day late! I'm sorry! But it's here.  
I just wanted to thank you all for your reviews. I'm really glad you guys seem to like it so far. I hope I don't ruin that. D:  
Let me know what you think!**

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**Chapter 3: And I Will Stumble and Fall**

Much to Hermione's pleasure, Draco didn't disappoint as he quickly downed his own fire whisky and grabbed her wrist pulling her outside toward the coolers filled with beers and other drinks. Uttering a quick charm to unlock the childproof container, Draco pulled out two beers, one for Hermione and one for himself. They simultaneously popped the top off on the table and took large swigs out of the bottle.

The buzz kicked in a few beers later as Hermione, George, and Draco sat at the table laughing about things that weren't meant to be amusing. They each had a beer of their own in their hands and drank after each joke and eruption of laughs. Their amusement sent smiles down the table and others began to join in, in the drinking escapades.

"We're the new Golden Trio!" George shouted raising his beer into the air with a hazy, triumphant look in his eye. Hermione raised her bottle as well in agreement with the ginger haired man.

"No! We should be the Brown Trio!" Draco shouted in between the two. They all let out hearty chuckles and Draco lifted his bottle joining the salute.

"To the Brown Trio," they all said in unison then each took their own swill of the brown liquid.

Draco was pleased to find that Hermione was a giggly drunk. He would say something snarky about someone and immediately Hermione would burst into a fit of laughter only to be calmed by taking another drink. However, Draco had stopped after dinner and changed the beer in his bottle to water when she wasn't looking. Hermione, on the other hand, kept going, downing as much of the brown liquid as she could. He knew she really wanted to forget the night. But when she began to slur he changed the contents to water. She started to complain that it had tasted weird but still drank it. He didn't want her to make a complete fool of herself, but he didn't mind seeing her make a few drunken jokes here or there.

After most of the guests had left, leaving Draco, Hermione, Lavender and the Weasleys, they all settled into the living room of the Burrow. Harry was lazily, lounging in his chair enjoying his own drunk, Percy and his wife were sitting in two of the chairs, Ron was on a stool next to Lavender who was sitting in a lounger with her hand on her stomach, Draco and Hermione were on the couch, closer than sober Hermione would have liked but buzzed Hermione enjoyed, Molly was putting the boys down to bed, and the rest were chattering happily.

"Did you see how dreadful Penelope Clearwater looked after having her son?" Audrey Weasley, Percy Weasley's wife, chirped.

"Give the girl a break! We all can't look like Ginny after having a baby!" Hermione laughed and pointed to the red headed beauty sitting on the arm rest of Harry's chair. Ginny blushed and waved her hand at Hermione.

"Oh darling we all know after you have a kid you're still going to look fantastic." Ginny fawned as well, "However, your child is going to marry my child and we're going to be related somehow!" she joked hoping that Hermione didn't hear the twinge of sadness in her voice after losing the chance of them becoming sister-in-laws.

"I don't think we need another Hermione Granger running around." Draco joked next to the brunette. She turned to him and gave him a playful glare as she bumped her shoulder against his.

"Oh Merlin, like we need another Malfoy terrorizing the world." Hermione taunted back. Everyone, with the exception of Ron and Lavender, let out a laugh as the two lightheartedly harassed each other.

"Why don't you two just have the baby together so that there will only be one terrible child destroying mankind." Harry teased.

"Yes!" Ginny shouted next to him. "If you two had a baby our child would definitely have to get together with yours because you two would make gorgeous children." Another eruption of laughs filled the room lightening the mood even further.

However, Ron stood up and took a step toward Hermione. He stammered for a second as he stared at her leaning against Malfoy with a grin on her face as she looked at the blond haired Slytherin.

"Hermione," he finally said, "can I have a word with you? Alone." Hermione looked up at him with a glare.

"What do you want to talk to me about? Maybe you finally have the nerve to tell me you're engaged to _her_?" Hermione said pointing to Lavender, "or maybe the fact that she's pregnant." Everyone let out a small gasp as their eyes narrowed at Lavender. She turned beet red and let out a cough.

"How did you—" Ron began but was cut off by Hermione's scowl.

"Oh please, her knockers never used to be that large, let alone the fact that she hasn't touched any alcohol all night and we _all_ know how she used to be at Hogwarts with the Firewhisky." Lavender blushed even harder at the truth in Hermione's words. "Fine Ron, I'll meet you in the kitchen. Just give me a moment," Hermione hissed. He nodded and quickly left the uncomfortable situation in the living room. The angry girl was about to get up to follow him when Draco grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" he asked in a low whisper not allowing anyone else to hear unless they moved closer. She nodded her head.

"I can handle it." Hermione replied. Draco was amazed at the bravery she had, after only a few hours earlier he witnessed her break down and beg him to help her. Before Draco himself realized what he was doing, he moved his face up to kiss her forehead and Hermione's face immediately warmed as the memories flooded back into her mind.

_They had been meeting in the Room of Requirement nearly every day to talk. Hermione had been so surprised to realize that, though Draco Malfoy played the bad kid and acted like a prat, he was a very interesting and caring person. It was as if she had tapped into a side of him that no one saw. Though, he would never admit it to her, she had. _

_Their friendship had become so strong that neither ever wanted to say goodbye when it came time for one to leave. They both would try to come up with excuses as to why they should stay a bit longer, whether it was stories they had just remembered or homework assignments they decided to help each other with, the pair always tried to find a way to keep their time together last longer. _

_"Draco, I really have to go now. I wish I could stay but Harry and Ron are going to wonder where I've been. I can't keep using the library as an excuse because surely they'll begin to check there." He nodded at the Gryffindor girl, agreeing. "Tomorrow, we can meet back here again. We have a Charms exam and we can study for it." Draco gave a disgusted face as he never liked studying. He only wanted to talk to her. Hermione let out a laugh at his expression and smiled up at him. "I promise we'll have time to talk."_

_"The problem is, Granger I don't know how long I'll be able to see you for as I have to go meet my father again." Now it was Hermione's turn to show her displeasure for the situation. Draco, however, held back his laughter as he knew why she was upset about this. "Either way, I'll see you here tomorrow." She nodded. _

_Hermione was about to stand and leave when Draco leaned forward and placed his lips against her forehead. She stared at him with tender eyes and crimson cheeks. On his face was a smile that was so kind she had never imagined it was possible for him to look like that. Quickly, Hermione stood up and rushed out of the room before she could say anything to ruin the perfect moment. _

With flushed cheeks and an open mouth, Hermione stood up, cautious not to look anyone in the eye as she made her way toward the kitchen. Every eye in the room was on her, questioning what was going on between her and the Slytherin.

Immediately stepping into the kitchen, Hermione felt the gazes leave her and she relaxed slightly. This only lasted a second, until she looked up to see Ron leaning against the counter with his arms crossed. She held back her groan and stared him straight in the eye.

"What do you want Ron?" She started sharply.

"Who told you about our engagement? I made the family promise not to tell you until I did. None of that lot would have told you!" He uncrossed his arms and his fingers gripped the counter, causing his knuckles to turn white. "Who told you 'Mione?"

"Does it matter? What matters, Ron, is that you still don't have the guts to tell me you cheated on me with her." Hermione was now the one to cross her arms as she glared at the redheaded boy before her. "You couldn't wait could you? As soon as you got rid of me you asked her to marry you!"

"Malfoy told you, didn't he? He would be the only one who knew since Harry tells him bloody everything now!"

"I said it doesn't matter who told me." Hermione wondered if she was convincing enough.

"It was!" Ron let out a low roar. "Why have you been so chummy with him anyway? He's not good for you 'Mione. I don't trust him. Harry is a prat for bringing that arsehole back into our lives. He's not good for you!"

"You lost the right to decide what was and wasn't good for me when you broke my heart Ronald." Hermione said calmly. "It doesn't matter who told me and it doesn't matter if I'm chummy with Malfoy anyway."

"Are you with him?" He asked bluntly. Ron watched her face for any reaction as he gazed at her.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Are you?" His voice was raised into a yell.

"Yes!" She finally shouted annoyed with his anger. Hermione had lied because she knew the one thing that would make Ron angry would be if she was with his enemy. Ron hated Malfoy with every ounce of him and she knew the idea of them together would tear him apart. It didn't help that she still felt the buzz from intoxication as well. "That doesn't matter though! You _cheated_ on me and you can't even be man enough to tell me! And then to turn my friends against me by having them keep a secret from me!" Ron didn't hear her anymore, though. All he could think about was Malfoy touching her, making her laugh, kissing her, and it angered him.

"Why are you with him?" He asked the rage once again building up in his voice. Hermione didn't know how to answer this. She wasn't with him, but she had just told Ron she was. What could she say to make him believe her?

"Same reason you're with Lavender, I guess." She responded wittily. As soon as she had said it his eyes widened and his lips parted slightly in surprise.

"You _love _him?" At this Hermione couldn't help but let out a gasp of air, as if she had been kicked in the gut. She couldn't say anything as she stared at him with eyes filled with so much pain and misery. He loved her. Ron Weasley loved Lavender Brown. There was no way to deny it anymore.

Rushing out of the kitchen, Hermione flew into the living room trying to hold back the tears in her eyes and the sob slipping up from inside of her. Draco knew immediately something was wrong as he stared at her about to break down again.

"I need to go home." Hermione said quickly with no luck of hiding her shaky voice. "Thank you for the lovely party. Congratulations on five years." Harry and Ginny stood up immediately concerned, knowing their friend all too well.

"You're not apparating home." Harry said sternly. "You've had too much to drink tonight for that to be safe." Draco stood up behind her and walked toward them.

"I'll take her." Hermione turned to look at him with a puzzled look on his face.

"You drank just as much as I did." A hint of red touched his cheeks and Hermione had almost forgotten that Draco could show emotion like that.

"I actually didn't, I stopped after the first few and changed it to water." Now Hermione was the one to turn red as she was now mortified.

"Let me guess, you wanted to watch me make a fool of myself. I bet you can't wait to tell everyone you got to see the mudblood shit-faced." Draco cringed as she used the word he loathed worst in the world. The one he had used on her so many times before.

She turned to walk toward the front door of the Burrow when Draco grabbed her arm.

"No, Hermione!" His voice gave way to how pathetic he felt. He internally begged her to listen as his hand touched her. However, she wouldn't, and she ripped herself from his grasp. Ginny, Harry and Draco all rushed outside to follow the now crying brunette who was walking through the tall grass. She didn't know where she was going she just needed to get out of that house.

Harry was the first to reach her, quickly wrapping his arms around her to stop her, he crushed her against his chest. Before he could utter a word, the sob escaped from Hermione's stomach and out her lips. Rubbing her back while whispering to her, Harry comforted her.

Draco watched, resenting Harry for doing what he should have been. He realized quickly that he wasn't the one she cried to anymore. Her face wasn't in his chest like that, staining his clothes with her salty tears. That connection had been destroyed along with any trust or love she had left for him when they had parted ways in their sixth year. Draco yearned for that feeling again. He wanted to hide his face into her hair and take in the scent that was Hermione Granger. To be the one to tell her that she was going to be okay and that he would be there for her.

"He loves her," Hermione whispered through her tears. "He loved her when he was with me." Ginny shook her head as she stood next to Draco. Her brother was a git. She turned to Draco and saw the agony on the man's face. "How could you not tell me? You let me walk into a mine field!" She pulled back to look at Ginny and Harry.

"'Mione, he told us he would tell you as soon as he saw you. It wasn't our secret to share." Ginny looked defeated, wishing the guilt that was slowly creeping into her senses would disappear.

"You're both lucky that this prat told me before I went into that conversation in worse shape than I already was."

"We thought he'd handle it better," Harry said wrapping his arm around his best friend. Another round of tears swelled up in her eyes and she turned back to her friend and began to cry. Never had she felt more pathetic as she balled in front of her two friends and her nemesis.

"Hermione let Draco take you home. You don't have to talk to him, just let him take you home so we know you're safe." Ginny finally said with her eyes on the blond haired man next to her again. Harry agreed with his wife as he let Hermione go. She hadn't realized it until he had released her that it was chilly outside and she was cold.

"Draco will send us a patronus to let us know the travel went well." Harry added to reassure Hermione. With a groan, the girl with the tear stained face turned toward Draco, clearly not hiding her disgust for him.

"Fine," she hissed. Harry and Ginny hugged Hermione and Draco goodbye before returning to the house as two shadows preparing to deal with the chaos within.

"You've had too much to drink tonight to apparate us to your house, so we're going to use the Floo Network." Draco said, not looking her in the eye in fear of his strong demeanor cracking at the sight of her broken expression. Instead he looked at his shoes, hoping she didn't notice his lack of eye contact.

"I'm not—" She started to protest when he cut her off with a lift of his pale hand.

"We're not going back in there, I know." He said harsher than he wanted. If he knew Hermione well enough, she wouldn't be happy about his tone, and she'd purse her lips together, cross her arms and lean to one side, with a look that said she wasn't going to deal with his attitude. Draco allowed himself a reluctant glance and he looked up to see his assumptions were correct. Her mouth was now pressed together in a tight line and her arms were laced together, with her hip sticking out, proving to him that his teenage companion had not changed very much. "We'll be going to my house and using the Floo from there." Just as he guessed as he said it, Hermione's arms dropped, with balled fists, and her annoyed face turned to anger.

"I will not go anywhere near that bloody manor!" She shouted.

"You can either come to my house or go back in there and face everyone," Draco replied with a sneer as he crossed his arms victoriously. "I'm sure Ron has a few more secrets he'd love to tell you, Granger."

"I hate you!" Hermione pushed him with a lot of force, causing the blond haired boy to stumble back and unlock his arms. She raised her arm to hit him when he caught it and then the other as it started to fly toward him. "I hate you so much Malfoy!" The tears returned to her face, running down the familiar lines the previous set had left behind.

"I know you do," he whispered, hating himself as well for what he had put this girl through. "But I'm your only choice, whether you bloody like it or not." Hermione knew he was right. No one in there could help her as they all had been friends with both her and Ron. "Come on Granger, only to my house then you can get home." He stared into her large brown eyes that were shining with tears. Golden flecks surrounded her pupil and he wondered how such beauty could exist in the world. Then he remembered who he was looking at. She hated him, didn't trust him, how could he make it up to her, prove to her that he was there because he cared.

With a nod of her head, Hermione stepped back as Draco released her wrists. He moved his hand up to her forearm and was unable to stop himself from letting his fingers drag along her soft skin.

A loud pop filled their ears from his apparation, the ground below their feet disappeared, and they felt a gust of wind hit them. Then it ended and they were back on solid ground. Reluctantly, Hermione opened her eyes to look around the horrid manor but was surprised to find that they weren't in Malfoy Manor. Instead, they stood on the medium brown wooden floors of a vast living room. Next to them was a dark leather sectional couch that was positioned to face the grand fireplace which held a large, flat screen television above it. The room was lit with a warm glow from the lamps that sat on the end tables on either side of the couch. In the corner of Hermione's eye she saw a staircase leading up to another level. Surrounding the large window straight ahead of them was a bookshelf filled with books, pictures, and even Draco's Quidditch plaque. Perched under the window, on the window seat, with a laptop resting on his legs, was Blaise Zabini, Draco's long time friend from Slytherin and former Death Eater. His dark skin glowed from the illumination of the lamps and his computer and in the light they could see he was looking up at Hermione and Draco with pure shock written clearly on his face.

"Bloody hell, is that Hermione Granger?" Blaise asked, moving the computer off of his lap and standing up to walk toward them with his hand held out to greet her respectfully. "Golden Girl and Princess of Gryffindor, the smartest witch of our age, standing in a living room with two well known Death Eaters," Blaise said with a joke. Hermione rolled her eyes and shook his hand back. "How'd this little gathering happen?" He asked turning to Draco with an eyebrow cocked. "I never thought I'd see you two in the same room again." Hermione looked down at her hands thinking about the last time Blaise saw them together.

_"Alright, try it one more time." She whispered standing behind him as he held his wand in his hand. "3…2…1"_

_"Expecto Patronum!" Draco shouted pointed at the empty space inside the Room of Requirement. A silver strand of magic shot out of his wand and formed into a wolf that glided through the room, dancing along the walls and antiques that were scattered around them. "Wow." He whispered to himself as he watched the animal gracefully move then disappear. _

_"A wolf, that's a nice one." Hermione complimented with a smile on her face looking at him. They had been practicing his patronus for a few days now and he wanted to get its formation. "I expected a ferret." _

_"What's yours?" He asked turning to her with a sneer, "A sloth?"_

_"No!" She crossed her arms angrily and pursed her lips. Draco let out a chuckle at her demeanor before he put his wand in his pocket. "For your information it's an otter." It was at that point that Draco had realized he opened the dictionary inside of Hermione's head. "Otters are a representation of care, creativity, wisdom, health, and curiosity. I think people's patronuses say a lot about them."_

_"What's a wolf?" Draco asked trying to hide the sarcasm he could feel seeping into his words. However, he didn't do very well because Hermione pursed her lips again and rolled her eyes. "Oh come on Hermione. I'm just teasing you." He walked toward her and put his arm on her shoulder. _

_At that moment, Blaise Zabini walked into the room to see the two in very close proximity of each other. He cleared his throat, making Hermione jump back and look at the owner of the sound. _

_"Blaise," she put her hand to her chest as if to relax her heart. "What are you doing here?" Blaise had caught Draco spending time with Hermione a month earlier when he followed Draco wondering where the Death Eater was running off to so often. To Hermione's surprise, he didn't care. Blaise seemed okay with the situation, promising to keep their secret and even helping Draco when people asked where he had gone. _

_"Draco's father would like to see him. He's in Snape's office waiting impatiently. Snape couldn't find you but I knew where you were." Draco tensed at the thought of his father waiting for him. _

_"I'll be right out." He said through clenched teeth. Blaise nodded his head and walked out of the room. "Hermione, lately things have been feeling strained at the Death Eater meetings. Voldemort seems to trust me less and less." He sighed and moved back toward her. "I don't know what my father wants, but I trust it isn't good." They had this conversation often. It was Draco's way of saying he didn't know how long they had left before they were forced to stop seeing each other. She nodded her head understanding. "If something happens I'll tell you, I won't just cut off contact." He leaned forward and kissed the top of her head. Hermione pressed her lips to his cheek after he had pulled away. It had become a way for them to say goodbye without actually saying the words. The first few times Hermione had worked up the nerve to do this, she would leave as quick as possible, not wanting to know Draco's reaction. Now, however, she couldn't wait to see the red tint cross the normally harsh boy's face. Draco, with his warm cheeks still showing, walked toward the exit of the room._

_"Royalty, Strength, and Intelligence," Hermione murmured causing Draco to stop walking. _

_"What?" he asked turning to look at her. _

_"You asked what a wolf's traits were," she replied with a slight smile. The corner of Draco's mouth lifted into the most sincere and beautiful smile Hermione had ever seen. _

_"I quite like that." He said with a wink before leaving the room. _

_"I like it too." Hermione whispered to herself, as she couldn't hold back the grin on her face. _

"Harry and Ginny's anniversary party was tonight," Draco started pushing Hermione back to reality.

"I got drunk and they didn't feel I was safe enough to go home by myself so they sent this prat." Hermione finished, jamming her finger in Draco's direction. Blaise let out a roar of laughter at the thought of the Princess of Gryffindor getting drunk.

"Next time you get drunk, invite me. I would love to see that." He said after he finished laughing. Hermione glowered at him. "Well I'll let him take you home Princess." Blaise teased. "Be safe, don't throw up too much." With a final glare, Draco pulled Hermione toward the fireplace.

"Say your address, clearly please," he was still holding her arm. Hermione said, with a harsh glare, her address as Draco threw the Floo Powder into the fireplace. They immediately vanished leaving behind a chuckling Blaise.

"I can handle the rest on my own." Hermione sneered as they arrived in her apartment. It was pitch black making it hard for Draco to see nearly anything other than shadows. He felt Hermione pull her arm from his grasp and walk toward her bedroom. "You can leave now." She waved her hand, trying to be dismissive, but really it looked like her hand was having a seizure. Draco rolled his eyes wondering if she had ever said thank you before. Of course, he knew she had, when they were kids, but he wondered if she grew out of being humble.

The blond haired man's train of thought was shattered with the sound of something glass breaking and Hermione crying out in pain. He rushed into her room after her to see his childhood friend sitting on the ground with blood running down her arm. Next to her on the floor was a pile of clear broken glass.

"Nice going Granger." Draco hissed and bent down next to her. He reached for her arm when she pulled it back with a hiss. "Just let me look at it for Merlin's sake!" She glared, still keeping her arm away from him. "You're unbelievable!" Draco threw up his hands. "You're bloody bleeding and you can't even accept my help. Grow up Granger. We're not at Hogwarts anymore." He stood up and walked out of the room. Hermione could clearly see he was angry because his back was tensed as he left.

Looking down at her palm, Hermione noticed many, little, sparkling slivers within the wound and she let out a groan. She had tripped when she walked into her room and when her arms flew out to catch something she took her mother's vase with her. Tonight was going so well for her. Ron telling her he loved Lavender, getting drunk and making a fool of herself in front of everyone, Draco Malfoy trying to slither his way back into her friends' lives, and now Hermione's mother was going to be angry she broke a very important vase, tonight was definitely Hermione's night.

Draco walked back in with a wet rag, a brown bottle, tweezers, a bowl and some gauze. Sitting down next to her, he grabbed her arm before she could protest and examined it. He picked up the tweezers and began slowly picking out the small chunks of glass in the palm of her hand. Hermione couldn't deny that he was gentle with her, making sure that he didn't hurt her too much as he removed the shards. Each piece of glass was thrown into the bowl with a clang and as the clangs counted up Hermione couldn't help but groan again at all the glass that was in her hand.

When Draco finally finished with the glass, he used the wet rag to clean up most of the blood that was dripping down her arm. His hand, through the towel of course, moving along her arm, gave her goosebumps. The Slytherin's touch was so soft she wondered how it came from such an angry person.

Picking up the brown bottle, he unscrewed the white cap and poured the liquid into it. Hermione heard the sound of it fizz.

"This might sting a little," he said as he moved her hand over the bowl and emptied the liquid in the lid onto her palm. At first there was no sting, but as the clear fluid seeped into her wound and began to bubble, Hermione could feel it cleaning. She cringed slightly and Draco clearly noticed as he let his index finger smoothly stroke the inside of her wrist. Her eyes no longer watched the bubbles in her wound, but instead gazed at the finger gliding up and down sending another wave of bumps over her body.

When the bubbles finally disappeared, Draco picked up the gauze and began wrapping it around her hand. He made sure it wasn't too tight, but just enough that it would hold together. Once again, Hermione couldn't help but gaze at the delicacy of his hands. She never imagined Draco Malfoy being such a caring person and she didn't know if it was because he felt bad about the Ron situation or because she was a git and cut her hand open.

After tying the gauze together, Draco let her hand go and began to clean up his mess. He even began throwing the large chunks of glass in the bowl with the bloody ones from her hand. Then with a wave of his wand, the small pieces that he couldn't pick up flew into the bowl after. He walked out of the room, leaving Hermione on the floor amazed at what she had just witnessed. Draco had done everything the muggle way. Except of course the small chunks, but even Hermione would have done that.

She was about to reach for the post of her bed to help her up, when a hand flashed in her face offering her the support she needed. Reluctantly, she took it, and Draco pulled her up toward him. He moved the hand to her back and guided her toward the bed. Hermione climbed in and started taking off her heels.

The silence that filled the air between them was off. Hermione wanted to know what he was thinking but she wouldn't dare ask because it would mean she cared. Draco on the other hand, couldn't help but watch her gracefully move as she removed her shoes then slide into the bed.

"I'm going to stay on the couch in case you decide to break anything else. I'll leave first thing in the morning when Ginny and Harry get here." He said and instinctively leaned forward to kiss her forehead. The bushy haired girl accepted his kiss and snuggled into the bed further.

"There's a guest bedroom right next door." She whispered as he walked toward the door. "Extra pillows are in the wardrobe." Draco chuckled, turned off the light and closed Hermione's bedroom door behind him.

Hermione closed her eyes and allowed a smile to form on her face as she relaxed deeper into her warm bed.

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**I hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4: I Know Nothing At All

**I'm on time! If anything a little early. Yay! Thank you for your wonderful reviews (keep them up!), it really means a lot when people take time to say something about my story. **

**On with the sexy Slytherin and the Princess of Gryffindor**

**Just because I haven't repeated it: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters**

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**Chapter 4: I Know Nothing At All**

Hermione awoke the next morning with a piercing headache. She let out a deep groan and sat up, shielding her eyes from the sun that violently beamed in through her window. Everything began to spin around her and she felt her stomach twist.

She was definitely experiencing a terrible hangover.

Pulling the blankets off her, she looked down to see that she was in her clothes still from yesterday. Her skirt was raised above her stomach and she shuffled to pull it back down to her knees. The quick movement, however, caused her vision to blur again, forcing her to curl her fingers in the bed for support.

Slowly, she moved her legs to hang off the bed and rise from the comfortable mattress. Her limbs wobbled slightly but she maintained her standing position and gradually started walking toward the bathroom.

Once she reached the room, she didn't dare turn on the light in fear that her headache would worsen. She looked in the mirror just above the pedestal sink and let out another groan at her appearance. Makeup ran down her cheeks in black streaks, bloodshot eyes screamed back at her, and her hair was a mess on the top of her head, looking as though a few rats lived in the nest she provided.

With a hearty sigh, Hermione moved her left hand to fix her hair when she noticed it was wrapped with white gauze. Immediately she looked down at her hand and wondered what had happened. She began to remove the white bandage from around it. The last bit stuck to the wound from the crusted blood. Jagged cuts sprawled over her palm were revealed and she couldn't help but let out a slight moan at the injury.

Her mind began to race, wondering what in Merlin's name happened last night. She tried to remember every bit she could. Ron had showed up with Lavender, she asked Draco to get her drunk, she was laughing with Draco and George a lot, but that's all she could think of, flashes of dinner and nothing after. She couldn't imagine what else had gone on, how she had gotten these cuts in her palm, who wrapped it up if she was that drunk, and why she felt like she was forgetting something truly important.

She threw the bloody gauze into the bin next to her sink and began to strip her clothes. Flicking the handle on the shower up, she moved the curtain back and allowed the water to shoot out into the tub. Steam began to fill the room and fog the mirrors. Hermione welcomed the warm fumes into her lunges clearing her head of the chaos. A shower would do her good, cleaning her wound, taming her hair, and getting rid of the foul smell of alcohol that radiated off of her.

The water pounded down on her skin, massaging away the dirt and grime from the day before. She washed her hair, rubbing away the knots in her curls and relaxing the surging headache she still had. After scrubbing away the grimy feeling she had on her skin, the brunette just allowed the water to fall on her, loosening up her muscles and releasing the tension she had.

Hermione was so entranced in her shower she didn't hear the door of her bathroom open and the sound of a voice clearing its throat.

"Hermione," he said cautiously as he saw the silhouette of her through the white curtain. The blonde haired man couldn't help but lick his lips at the idea of her being naked behind a slim sheet of fabric that he could easily rip down. Clearing his throat again to gain her attention and remove the tainted thoughts, Draco wondered how loud he would have to be for her to hear. "Granger, are you deaf?" He shouted causing the figure to jump and pull the curtain back to reveal her face dripping with water. She made sure to keep the rest of her body covered and Draco tried to hide his disappointment.

"Malfoy… what the fuck are you doing here?" she hissed wide eyed. Draco was surprised to hear her curse so easily. "Who let you in my house?"

_"You_ did," he said arrogantly as he crossed his arms and walked toward her. The Gryffindor's fingers tightened around the fabric of the shower curtain, hoping that he couldn't see anything. Draco couldn't help but let out a smile at her embarrassment. "Ginny and Harry are here, to calm them down I told them I would come and check on you." His eyes ran up and down from her face to her shadowed body. The curtain began to stick to her allowing Draco's imagination to run even further. He wondered how long he had to rip the drape, climb into the shower, and do something he'd always fantasized about, before she'd hex him.

"I'm fine," she hissed, breaking him from his thoughts again. _Yes you are. _He thought to himself, making sure he didn't actually say it aloud.

"Well after such an embarrassing night last night, I'm sure fine isn't exactly how you're feeling Granger." Draco growled back with a snarky smile. Hermione's face grew hot as thoughts began to shuffle through her head again. What had she done that Malfoy considered embarrassing? "Well, breakfast was made for you, food might be useful to clear up that hangover I guarantee you have." He waved his hand and walked out of the steaming bathroom leaving Hermione to finish her shower.

Once Hermione was dry and dressed, she made her way out to the kitchen to see Harry, Ginny, and Draco sitting at the table chattering and eating breakfast. Her eyes narrowed as Malfoy sat there with a smile on his face looking content eating in _her_ flat with _her_ cutlery and talking with _her_ friends. However, her glare vanished as she saw Teddy and James at the island eating pancakes. Her heart warmed at the innocence they had and how sweet they were.

Walking into the kitchen, she was greeted by five sets of eyes. She smiled at each of them except Malfoy. Her grin dropped and she moved toward the stove to get her breakfast. Draco rolled his eyes and continued to eat.

"Morning Aunt 'Mione!" James said cheerily before stuffing more pancakes in his mouth. Teddy waved his fork but was busy looking at a copy of the Daily Prophet. Hermione grinned again at both the boys and put food into her plate. She sat down next to Ginny at the table.

"So, how are you handling things?" Harry asked cautiously.

"Well, I guess I can't be too upset he's engaged to her. I doubt it will last long anyway." Hermione said casually as she took another bite of her eggs. "I do, however, wish you guys had told me or at least that he would have had the guts to tell me himself." The three staring at the girl exchanged quick glances before returning their eyes to her. "What?" she asked. Noticing the look they had all given each other, she placed her fork gently on the plate and wiped her mouth with the napkin.

"Do you remember last night 'Mione?" Harry questioned staring at his friend as if she had gone insane.

"Not everything," she admitted sheepishly. "What else happened?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" Ginny twisted her napkin causing the paper to wear down and begin to tear.

"I remember asking Malfoy to get me a drink, drinking a lot, laughing with George and him," she pointed to the blond whose face reddened slightly. "I don't remember after dinner much." They gave each other another fleeting look. "What happened?" She was angry now, wondering what it was her friends knew that she forgot.

"Well 'Mione, a lot." Harry cleared his throat, deciding how he was going to tell his best friend she had a breakdown. "You called out Lavender being pregnant." Draco let out a chuckle remembering how the brunette had handled the situation. Hermione's eyes narrowed at him and he quickly shoved another forkful of food into his mouth. "You told Ron he didn't have the guts to tell you he cheated on you and then you went to meet him in the kitchen."

"What did we talk about in the kitchen?" Hermione asked looking between the redhead and the brunet.

"We don't know. No one else was in the kitchen with you except Ron." Ginny answered and looked down at her hands.

"Which means I should probably talk to him to figure out what we discussed," she tried to rack her brain finding any idea of what their conversation was about. She remembered going into the kitchen, angry. Ron was angry too. "He kept yelling something..." Hermione said trying to think of what it was. "He was annoyed with me and he asked the same question a few times. Then he said something that really upset me." Hermione noticed the three look at each other once again. She slammed her hand down on the table angrily. "Would you stop doing that?" Five sets of eyes stared at her horrified. Hermione blushed, feeling bad for her outburst. "Teddy, why don't you take James into the living room to watch the television, if you press the big gold button it will play Quidditch." Both boys' eyes lit up as they jumped from their stool and rushed into living room. A few seconds later the sound of emanated from the television. "Why do you all keep looking at each other?" The red faced, bushy haired girl asked.

"Draco... I think you should tell her. She hates you." Harry said with a smirk.

"Shove off Potter! She's your best friend. You lot share everything with each other." Draco hissed back with his face as red as Ginny's hair. Neither wanted to tell her, if they did they would be the one responsible for breaking her heart a second time within twenty-four hours.

"Hermione, Ron told you he loved Lavender." Ginny finally said, knowing neither of the men before her had the guts to tell the brunette the truth. "We don't know why he brought it up, but he told you and you left."

"Where'd I go?" She asked her voice rising at the sadness. Not wanting to cry in front of Malfoy, she kept her calm as best as she could. The realization that the man she had been in love with for seven years had fallen out of love with her, killed her.

"Draco took you home." Harry said glancing at the Slytherin who was busy pushing his food around with his fork. Draco had heard the pain Hermione tried to hide. He vowed to himself that he would make Ron Weasley pay for what he had put Hermione through. How, he didn't know, but he would.

"When did I get this cut?" She asked raising her hand up to show the cuts in her palm. Ginny and Harry moved their gaze toward Draco with their eyebrows raised.

"I guess this is where my part starts." Draco said with a sigh, setting down his fork. "I took you to my house-"

"I went to the _Manor_?" Hermione growled angrily.

"No, I haven't lived there in quite some time." Draco hissed at being interrupted. "We went to my house, where you saw Blaise again." A smile appeared on Hermione's face at the thought of seeing the former Death Eater again.

"Zabini! I bet it was great seeing him again." Draco hid the jealousy he felt as he watched her fawn over his friend. Hermione had always liked Blaise because he was the one friend of Draco's that never insulted her for her blood. He didn't seem to truly care about anything other than getting laid and himself. He was kind when he needed to be but he usually kept to himself.

"Yeah he seemed pretty happy to see you too," the blond haired wizard continued. "Anyway, I took you home and you seemed to think you could do anything and went to your room. Of course, you fell and took something glass with you. I cleaned your wound and bandaged you up."

"The muggle way," Hermione snapped as if Malfoy was forbidden to use that type of healing.

"I can do whatever way I please Granger. You don't own the bloody muggle world." Draco's voice was a low growl as he glared at her. "Humble bint you are." Hermione stood up angrily to tower over Malfoy with her glower.

"How could you let me go home with this prat?" The brunette shouted at her friends pointing to the Slytherin.

"Like you're a fly through the park Granger," Draco mumbled with a hiss.

"Both of you relax," Ginny said calmly as she put her hand on Hermione's, giving her a reassuring look. "You can get along. You're both adults." Hermione sat back down and took a deep breath. "Harry and I would both like you to come over for dinner after work tomorrow. I'm making Bangers and Mash." She stood and walked into living room. "Boys come. We're going to let Aunt Hermione relax." Harry flicked his wand and cleaned up all the dirty plates. Hermione hadn't really eaten but she had lost her appetite anyway. Draco stood and walked out of the kitchen towards the guest bedroom to grab his blazer. Hermione walked into the living room to see James and Teddy putting on their shoes to go.

"Thank you all for coming to check up on me." She said looking at the redhead and her boys. "I missed you all for the last few months." Ginny smiled.

"'Mione, we knew you needed time. Bothering you would have just made the situation worse. I'm sorry my brother was such a git." She walked over to Hermione and hugged her.

"Yeah but he is your brother and he should come first," the brunette replied sourly. Ginny snorted at her best friends words.

"Put that prat before you? I think not 'Mione."

"He may be my best friend, but that doesn't excuse his actions." Harry said walking into the room with the two women. "You and I were always closer anyway." he said with a smile. Draco walked out with his hair freshly combed and his face scrubbed.

"We should go." Ginny said with a wink at the Slytherin. "These two need to hash it out by themselves," Harry nodded and picked up James for a side along apparition. "We will see you both tomorrow." She smiled as she grabbed Teddy's hand and disappeared with a pop.

"See you at work tomorrow." Harry said before leaving too. Hermione wondered if he was talking to her or Malfoy.

"I should go as well." The blond mumbled. "I don't really want anything thrown at my head or you to bruise my chest like you did last night." Hermione looked at him confused. "You pushed me pretty hard Granger while telling me you hated me." She gave him a sneer as if to say he probably deserved it. He walked toward her fire place and took a handful of Floo Powder.

"Malfoy," Hermione called before he said his address. "I still don't like you and I definitely don't trust you." He rolled his eyes and lifted his hand to throw the dust in when her next sentence stopped him. "But thank you for helping me last night." Her voice was quiet now as if she was embarrassed to be saying it, "for everything." Without acknowledging her gratitude Malfoy threw the powder down and said his address. He disappeared before she could even scold him for his rudeness.

* * *

"Of course Pierre!" Hermione swooned as she sat at her desk. She twirled a wisp of hair that hung down from her up do between her fingers. She wore black dress pants and a white and black, polka dot blouse. Her work attire usually consisted of clothing similar to this. "You know they only have _me_ deal with you." Typing away at her computer as the voice on the other end of the phone chattered away, felt normal for Hermione. Head of the Department of Foreign Affairs, she dealt with this flirty, French man nearly every day. "I really need those complaints Pierre," she laughed at his next comment and shook her head, "I'm sure the wife would love to join us for dinner one night." Hermione harassed. Under her desk, Hermione rolled her black heels around with her barefoot. It was a bad habit she had but didn't seem to be stopping it any time soon. "Do you think you could check and see if you have the complaints for me?"

The door of her office opened and she quickly returned her feet inside her shoes as she looked up to see who was walking in. Michelle, her receptionist, popped her head in and held up a piece of parchment with large letters scrawled across it.

_Ron Weasley is here to see you._

"You do, that's fantastic! Do you think you could read the names off for me as I type them?" Hermione tried to hold back her groan as she was on the phone.

She waved at Michelle to let Ron in as she continued her call. Straightening her shirt and making sure the pins in her hair were still intact, Hermione nervously tried to look as professional as possible. Ron walked in and she greeted him silently. He sat in the chair in front of her desk and placed his hands in his lap waiting for her call to end.

"You'll send them over? Oh my goodness, thank you Pierre. I owe you." She paused for a moment listening before she started to giggle. "How many times do I have to tell you, I'm fine?" Another pause, "I can take care of myself. I don't need everyone to feel sorry for me." Ron tensed slightly in his chair knowing what they were talking about. "It's been three months! Don't try to get the truth out of me either, I'll never tell you if I'm seeing someone." Hermione teased. She didn't know that this caused Ron to become angry. "I would love to have dinner with Colette and you next week." She smirked. "I have to go now. Thank you for the complaints. Bye Pierre."

Now she had to deal with the ginger sitting before her. He was dressed in dark jeans and a Chudley Cannons Quidditch t-shirt. His red hair was to his chin and waved as a slight breeze from the window came through. With fists for hands and his body rigid, Hermione wondered what had happened for him to be angry.

"Hi." She finally said and began to wonder how to start the rest of the conversation.

"We need to talk about what happened in the kitchen the other night." Ron said, getting to the point for her. She raised her eyebrows, wondering what truly had happened. "I told Harry and Ginny I would tell you the whole story but you never gave me a chance. You attacked me before I could even explain myself."

"Are you trying to tell me that you have a way to justify cheating on me?" Hermione's head nearly exploded at the idea of him even considering making cheating acceptable.

"'Mione, I wasn't happy but I was too afraid to stop being with you because you were so in love. It would be like sending an owl back to the shop once it's grown attached to you." She was an owl now? Ron definitely wasn't proving his case and only making the brunette angrier. "I couldn't tell you how I felt because you're not accepting."

"So it's _my_ fault?" She asked about to scream. "Are you mental? You're blaming me for _your_ cheating?" Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Tell me Ronald, how long has this been going on and how many women?" The question stopped the ginger as he looked down at his hands awkwardly.

"Two years," he whispered so quietly that Hermione could barely hear him. "I lost count of the women." Her mouth dropped slightly, tears began to well up inside of her. "Why should it matter?" He hissed. "You're with the ferret now anyway!" Hermione was about to ask him what he was talking about when the intercom on her phone sounded.

"Um Ms. Granger," Michelle's voice squeaked. "Mr. Malfoy is here to see you." Boy did he have good timing.

"Oh! Alright Michelle, send him in." Hermione refused to look at Ron because she knew he would be angry. Being in the building with Malfoy, let alone the same room, it wasn't something he liked. Walking in through the door in a black pinstripe suit, white button down, and a grey tie, Malfoy's eyes immediately landed on her. At that exact moment it hit Hermione what Ron had been talking about.

"_Are you with him?" Ron had asked angrily._

_"What does that have to do with anything?"_

_"Are you?" _

_"Yes!"_

"I came to check up on your hand." He said and walked toward her as she sat at her desk. "I also came to discuss going to Harry and Ginny's tonight for…" But Draco trailed off as he noticed Ron sitting in the chair, "Weasel." He hissed. Ron let out a snort and rolled his eyes. Hermione, noticing that Draco stood behind her desk with her, knew she had to do something fast before the lie had blown up back in her face. Tapping away on her keys she made a simple note for Draco to read as he stood next to her.

Play along.

He cocked an eyebrow confused at the message she was clearly trying to get him to see. Then she turned her chair toward him and held out her wounded hand. He took it and began to examine the cuts that were slowly fading. Still staring at Draco, Hermione took a breath.

"So what were we talking about again Ron?" He let out another huff at her losing track of the subject.

"I don't want to talk about it while _he's _here." Ron growled. Draco dropped Hermione's hand and turned to glare at the ginger haired wizard. Hermione pressed her hand to Draco's shoulder causing him to turn to her surprised. She looked at him and allowed her gaze to carry toward the computer screen with the two worded message she had for him, then back to his eyes. He seemed to catch on fast and move her hand from his arm and hold it within both of hers.

"Ron," the brunette said, turning back to him, "if you don't want to talk in front of Malfoy, then maybe we should talk another time." Ron nodded and stood up, leaving without even a goodbye. The door slammed behind him and immediately Hermione's hand slipped from Draco's grasp as she brought both them to her face.

The blond turned his body so he leaned against her desk to face her. He began to see her shoulders tremble as she was about to fall apart. Pulling his wand from his pocket, he wordlessly cast a spell on the door to lock it and a silencing charm on the room. Then he turned to her phone and pressed the button for her assistant.

"Yes?" Michelle's voice sounded through the speaker.

"Michelle, please hold all of Hermione's visitors and calls for the next half hour." Draco said sternly and then hung up. The brunette looked up at him mortified but Draco couldn't focus on the anger she had toward him as he noticed her eyes were red and they looked defeated as she and Ron had just had a battle in her office.

"What are you doing?" she hissed through her frowned lips. Instead of answering her with words, Draco took her hand and pulled her up out of the chair, toward him. He tugged her against him and wrapped his arms around her. Immediately, Hermione felt like a teenager again. They were in that spare classroom, innocent and unaware of what the future would hold. She wrapped her arms around his neck, buried her face into his coat, and began to sob.

"I'm so sick of crying!" She said through her tears. "I've been crying for three months and it just keeps getting worse!" Draco rubbed her back trying to sooth her through this.

"Stop worrying about crying, Hermione, just do it." He whispered in her ear. Her tears erupted louder as if they were given permission. She pulled herself closer to him as he was now her comfort. Draco tightened his arms and nestled his face into her neck. Weasley had done it again. She was a wreck and it was all that stupid git's fault. Plans for revenge filled his mind as he felt the witch tremble in his arms. Ron Weasley would suffer for what he had done to her.

When Hermione's cries softened, she still kept her head on his chest and turned her face so her cheek was flat against him. She let out a whimper feeling pathetic. The witch had just cried in the arms of the man she refused to trust. At the moment, however, her thoughts were placed on what Ron had said to her.

"What happened?" Draco asked as if knowing what it was she was thinking.

"He told me he'd been cheating on me for two years and lost count of how many women he'd actually been with." Hermione said through her cracked lips.

"Probably because the Weasel doesn't even know how to count," Draco joked hoping to lift the sad girl's spirits. He was rewarded with a small giggle against his chest. It didn't last long though as she let out another sigh.

"What if every guy I date cheats on me because I'm _boring_?" If Draco's heart hadn't cracked before that moment, it surely did at her words. He wondered how such an amazing person could berate herself so easily. "He said that he was afraid to tell me how he felt."

"You're an insufferable know-it-all, a bookworm, and a stubborn, pig headed, goody-good muggle-born witch." He replied without any emotion in his voice. But then a smile appeared on his face. "Any man who cannot tell you what he thinks of you is a coward and has no right to be in your presence." A small smirk played across Hermione's lips as she thought about what he had said. She pulled back from him and looked into his storming eyes. Then she recalled a very important detail of their conversation.

"I remember what else happened in the kitchen…" her eyes darted away from his nervously. "Do you remember when I said he kept shouting something over and over?" She could see him nod in the corner of her eye. "Funny story…"

"Spit it out Granger." Draco snapped.

"I told him that we are currently dating." She closed her eyes waiting to be thrown across the room and for the storm that was held within his eyes to release into his actions and destroy her office. Instead she was thrown completely off guard as he let out a chuckle.

"The things you do when you're drunk Granger," he said and she could actually hear the smile in his voice. She opened her eyes and looked into his. "I'll play along if it means angering Weasel." He said. "But I have one condition."

"Wait, what?"

"We pretend. I guarantee you don't want to tell him that you lied and I would love to see the look on his face when I whisk you into a room on my arm." Draco tried not to sound hopeful but he hadn't done very well. "But I have one condition if I'm going to do this for you."

"What's that condition?" She asked. He moved his hand from her back up to her face.

"I know you don't trust me, I accept that and I completely understand why you don't. But if I do this for you, you have to give me one chance." He was almost whispering now his voice was so low. "Just one and if I mess this up, I will personally hex myself into Azkaban." The brunette let out another small giggle.

"How do we do this?"

"We tell only Harry, Ginny, and Blaise the truth. Everyone else will believe that, like Weasley, we are in fact dating." Hermione nodded thinking it sounded good.

"No kissing," she snapped quickly. His heart dropped but instead of letting on he nodded his head, "unless we _have_ to." He could work with that. "We started dating March twenty-first, a little over a week before Harry and Ginny's anniversary party. You and I were reconnected at work and we stayed late hours together until finally you acted on your feelings." Draco couldn't help but laugh at her detailed plan. "I'm serious. We need to get this story straight."

"Yes, but why is it _I _acted on _my_ feelings. Why couldn't _you_ have been smitten with _me_?" He cocked an eyebrow as he stared at her. Hermione let out a huff. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Fine, bloody prat, I made several passes at you but you seemed to ignore them until that one late night when we were working overtime, you finally showed some interest back for me and I couldn't have been happier." Her brown eyes rolled and Draco couldn't help but smile. "Is that better _Malfoy_?"

"That's another thing, if we're going to make people believe we're happy, you have to start calling me Draco."

"But you call me Granger!" She whined, sounding childish. Draco leaned forward so his lips were to her ear. Her face burned red at the close proximity his mouth was to her.

"Yes, but I don't say it with hostility _Granger_," he said with his warm breath tickling her ear. The way he emphasized her surname seductively caused her to tense. Hermione hadn't realized she held her breath until her lungs began to scream for air. She exhaled, trying to seem casual, but the breath was shaky. "Say it." He whispered. Taking another deep breath, Hermione tried to relax her heavily beating heart.

"Draco," her lips formed around the word. It wasn't foreign to her, but it brought her, once again, back to her childhood. She used to say it all the time. Draco's eyes closed as he heard it and leaned back with a smile.

"Was that so hard?" He said with a snarky chuckle.

"I need to go brush my teeth," the brunette hissed. "Sunday," she gasped abruptly, causing his eyes to pop open. "The Quidditch game Ginny and Harry invited all our friends to, I'm guessing you were invited," he nodded his head, "we should plan for Sunday. Every couple is matching up." Draco furrowed his eyebrows together.

"_Matching_? Are you bloody mental?" He wondered if this was going to be a good idea. Then he remembered who was currently in his arms.

"Harry and Ginny are wearing maroon, George and Angela are dressing in blue, Neville and his girlfriend are wearing white, everyone is matching with their date and we'd surely stick out like a sore thumb if we didn't." Draco groaned and hung his face down to touch her shoulder. He took in a whiff of her perfume and nearly melted into her.

"Fine but we're wearing green," he growled. Hermione rolled her eyes and muttered something Draco could have sworn he heard her say "of course" and had to stop himself from chuckling. "I already planned on wearing green."

"I don't have anything in green, which means I have to go shopping." It was her turn to let out a groan. Hermione loathed shopping.

"I'll keep an eye out for something between now and then." He said still against her shoulder.

"When are we going to end this?" she asked. "I mean, it has to be convincing. We can't be in love one day then break up the next."

"The Memorial Gala is next month, how about sometime after that?" Draco said, leaning back again to look at her. "It allows us to publicly announce that we were together so the Weasel believes it, then we can break it off a few weeks after." Hermione nodded, impressed with him. She didn't think he could plan this well.

"That means I need to go shopping for that too!" She hissed. "I'm picking the color!" He rolled his eyes. At that, Hermione pushed herself away from him and walked around her desk messing with a few files. This gave Draco an opportunity to check out what he would be staring at for the next two months. Her legs were tall and thin, torso, perfect as it wasn't too slim and it wasn't too thick, chest, on the smaller side but still something to look at especially how she had left a few buttons open on her shirt to let him peek at, neck, lean and delicate would definitely bruise from biting, and her hair, one of his favorite things about her as he imagined it cascading down into its wild curls, begging to be knotted between his fingers. Then his gaze moved to her face, with a near angelic, pale complexion, perfect nose, long, brown eye lashes and groomed eyebrows, and her full red lips, Draco couldn't help but admire the beauty that stood before him.

"If you're going to stare, at least try to look a little less obvious," Hermione said without looking up from her paperwork. Draco held back his blush by letting out a sneer.

"Please Granger if I needed someone to stare at I could just look at the line of ladies waiting for me." He boasted. "I may be pretending to be your boyfriend, but I definitely don't need _you_ to look at." Hermione glanced up at him amused as her gaze moved behind him.

"Funny, I don't see a line. Maybe they went to find some other prat who wasn't _nearly_ as egotistical." She joked and turned back to her files.

"I'm sure it was the fact they couldn't be in the same room with someone who was such a know-it-all." He stood from the desk and walked around it to face her head on. "I'll see you at the Potter's tonight. We'll discuss this little _agreement_ with them" She nodded her head. Draco leaned forward and kissed her hair before swiftly turning around and leaving the room.

* * *

**I just love Draco. *swoons***

**Anyway, review, let me know what you thought any ideas you want to share for ****their "_agreement." _**

**Happy Reading!**


	5. Chapter 5: And I Am Feeling So Small

**I am so sorry I am late! Work and school have been chaos for me. The next chapter should hopefully make up for it since it will be relatively long. **

**Thank you to Nienna Perks, you helped me figure out what I was going to do with Harry and Ginny's reaction to the agreement.**

**Without further ado... Chapter 5. **

* * *

**Chapter 5: And I Am Feeling So Small**

Hermione arrived at the Potter's before Draco and Harry that evening. 12 Grimmauld Place was much brighter now that Ginny and Harry had lived there. They spent many of their days and nights at the Burrow, but Grimmauld Place was their home. After the war, Harry had moved in and began to clean it up further with help from his at the time fiancé, Ginny, and many good friends. Hermione had helped, designing the layout for their living room and going shopping with Ginny.

Now, Hermione and Ginny sat on the gray couch lined with black beadings enjoying the time alone they had together while the kids were at the Burrow. They caught up on things that they missed out on over the last three months of no communication. Ginny talked about her and Harry trying for another baby because they wanted a girl. Hermione talked about work and her family, her parents had gotten their memories back after months of analyzing and spells, so she visited them as often as she could, especially after her heartbreak when she had no one else to go to. They both tried to stay away from the subject of Ron, as it still was a touchy topic.

Harry apparated in an hour later with an exhausted look on his face and some dirt above his brow, but there was a smile held on his lips. He immediately walked over to his wife and gave her a kiss as if to say he was glad to be coming home to her. Hermione couldn't help but sadly smile. She was so happy for her friends but the jealousy stung at her, biting away the grin and forcing her to look down into her cup of tea regretfully.

"Hello Mrs. Potter," Harry whispered happily still not over the fact he could call someone in this world that.

"Hello Mr. Potter," Ginny said with a roll of her eyes and a push to his chest. "We have company, be respectful." Harry chuckled and walked toward Hermione, giving her a warm hug.

"Hey 'Mione," he murmured before pulling away from the witch. She smiled up at him and gave him a nod, immediately feeling even guiltier for being envious of her best friend. "Where's Malfoy?" He asked as he sat in the chair adjacent to the couch.

As if on cue, the flames from the fire place glowed green and out stepped the tall sculpted blond. Hermione's face flushed and she returned her gaze to the familiar eggshell colored teacup. She studied its look, hoping that the expression of embarrassment she had was hidden.

"Weaslette, Scar-head," Draco greeted with a smile. His grey eyes landed on the brunette sitting on the couch staring at her teacup. She had let her brown hair down from its restraints and it now flowed down freely to her elbows. Immediately the Slytherin had to hold back his groan at the image of her before him. "_Granger_," he said harshly trying to shock his thoughts. She gave him a nod not tearing her look away from the cup.

"Surprised to see you today Malfoy, Kingsley didn't call you in." Harry said not noticing the look the blond haired wizard was giving the brunette. Draco sat down in one of the chairs and shrugged.  
"I didn't come to see Kingsley," he replied still staring at the blushing witch. "I wanted to see if my handy work was still holding up." Now his gaze trailed to the other two people in the room. "I may be used to using the muggle way but it doesn't mean I'm an expert in it." Hermione couldn't help but furrow her eyebrows at this comment. _"Used to using the muggle way." _Since when did Draco get used to doing anything like a muggle? "I would have suggested lunch but I figured you'd take Granger now that she's speaking to you again." Hermione glared up at him as if to tell him he had no right to say that.

"Ron was there around the time you were too." Harry said still oblivious to the battle going on before him. "I have to assume you two didn't run into each other because the Ministry was still in one piece." Draco snorted.

"I saw the bloke." He turned to Hermione. "Guess you better tell them now." This seemed to finally catch Harry's attention as he sat up. His wife did as well, now looking over at Hermione with a questioning gaze. The brunette was livid. Draco was throwing the responsibility on her to tell the pair about the agreement.

"Ron came to see me." Hermione said matter-of-factly. As soon as she started it was as if Pandora's Box had been opened and the witch began pouring out the story of what had happened. She told them about what she remembered in the kitchen, Ron cheating—while biting back the tears, Draco showing up, convincing the Weasel that they were together, and finally their agreement. No one interrupted her as she leaked the information. They just stared at her.

At first silence filled the room as the three sets of eyes stayed fixated on the witch that was once again beet red.

"He _cheated_… for _two years_?" Ginny finally hissed. "I'm going to kill him. At this point, my brother is dead to me." Hermione looked over at the red head mortified. This was not what she wanted. She couldn't tear a family apart. Before she could say anything though, Harry stood up and walked out of the living room quickly down toward the basement. Ginny seemed to follow in his actions and swiftly made her way to the kitchen. This left the two who caused the scene. Draco walked over to Hermione and sat down next to her.

"I didn't expect this." She whispered numbly. He rested his hand on her thigh gently, as a sign of affection. "We should talk to them." Malfoy nodded knowing she was right. "I'll talk to Harry. He's my best friend and he needs to hear it from me."

"Weaslette has a soft spot for me, best if I talk to her." She looked up at him with eyes that ached for the pain of all this to be over. He kissed her forehead and stood up. "We can do this Hermione." The blond said before leaving her for the kitchen. She stood and made her way toward the basement to face her best friend.

Harry sat at the bar they had recently added, drinking a firewhisky. It wasn't exactly drinking, more downing and pouring. She stood on the other side of the bar to look at him. He paid no attention to her and continued his drinking. Finally, Hermione grabbed the bottle from his hands and heard him growl.

"I don't want to talk about it." Harry said harshly. Flashbacks of their times in Hogwarts ran through her head of all the times Harry pushed her out to protect her from the evil. This time it was different.

"Well we need to talk about it, Harry." She hissed back. "You're my best friend and I want to know what is going through that bloody thick skull of yours." He sighed and leaned back in the stool.

"I'm mad at Ron too, but to _lie_?" He shook his head. "Hermione, this isn't like you. Maybe Malfoy in your life wasn't the best idea." The wizard said to himself more than her.

"Harry," her voice started to shake, "I know what I'm doing isn't right, but," she took a deep breath, "I have to do this. I have to make Ronald Weasley pay for what he's done to me. I don't believe in myself anymore. I've been questioning who I am and if I'm good enough anymore. Honestly Harry, I don't think I am. To not be good enough to stay faithful for _two years_, there has to be something wrong with me." Her eyes began to sting with the tears threatening to fall. "What I'm doing may not be right, but it's what I want to do. I just want him to watch me with someone else, maybe it isn't real, but he won't ever know that. No one will except for Blaise, Ginny, and you," another breath. "Harry you're my best friend, my brother, I love you, but I have to do this. No matter how much you tell me no, I need to do this for myself."

"I can't let myself stand by and allow you to get hurt. What if something happens and you and Draco are the ones affected by this? Why all of a sudden, now, do you trust Malfoy? Weren't you the one the other night telling me that I shouldn't trust him?"

"I can take care of myself Harry and I'm sure Malfoy can as well. We agreed to this, we believe we can do it, and I really think we can. Concerning the trust part, well I don't trust him but he begged me to give him one chance to prove himself if he did this for me, and that's what I'm going to do. I won't take it lightly of course since I'm having trouble trusting anyone at the moment due to Ron and his… activities." Harry shook his head and let out a sigh causing Hermione to wonder if it was in defeat.

"Two years…" he growled. "I didn't even know. I don't know who he is anymore. We all went through a hard time after the war, but that doesn't excuse his behavior." With a final sigh, Harry nodded his head. "I'll play along but at the first sign of trouble I'm stopping this." Hermione let the corners of her mouth turn up slightly.

"Thank you Harry." He nodded again and tore the bottle from her grasp, pouring himself another drink. "Can I ask you something?"

"You'd ask even if I said no." The wizard joked.

"How did Malfoy get you to trust him?" Harry's eyes flashed up at her as if they held millions of secrets.

"He showed me something but before you ask, you're going to have to talk to him about it. This is something between you and Draco. I am not getting myself involved." He scoffed and stood up from his chair.

"I need to go save my wife from Malfoy." He said with a laugh and they returned back upstairs.

Draco had easily convinced Ginny this was going to be a good idea as she was already livid with her brother. They began to discuss the plans for the next few months as they would be putting up a façade for everyone. This wasn't something Harry and Ginny were comfortable with, but they agreed to it. Hermione couldn't wait to see the look on Ron's face the next time he saw her with Draco Malfoy.

"Ms. Granger, I tried to tell them no but the man insisted he had orders!" Michelle piped up as Hermione walked into the Ministry the next morning. She looked at her assistant as if she had gone mental.

"Michelle what are you talk—" But Hermione stopped as she opened her office. Inside were dozens of white boxes wrapped with emerald green ribbons. Her mouth hung open as she stared at what once was her office. The desk was barely visible behind the stacks and the couch was covered with them.

Harry walked up behind his best friend and her assistant about to ask what was going on when he saw them. He couldn't help but let out a snort knowing the culprit.

"I'm going to kill him…" Hermione hissed, rising another chuckle from Harry. He retreated to his office before the female Gryffindor exploded with her anger. Hermione walked in with her assistant on her heel. "I am going to kill him." She repeated angrier this time. Michelle wondered who the mystery man was. "If you'll excuse me Michelle, I have some… cleaning up to do." Her secretary immediately left the room, knowing that she didn't want to cross her boss at this time. Hermione began stacking the boxes in the corner of the room, trying not to let her curiosity get the best of her. Some of them were heavier than others but they weren't very difficult to carry, most were rather light. She could hear the tissue paper rattling within and her interest increased.

Her fingers rested on one of the green bows, deciding on whether or not she should open it. What did the Slytherin have up his sleeve to be sending all these gifts? With a sigh, she pulled on the silky ribbon and it fell apart. Lifting the lid, Hermione gasped to find a green sequined blouse nestled within silver tissue paper.

"Malfoy I'm going to kill you!" She growled and shoved the lid back on the box. Turning back to continue cleaning up the mess, she stopped to see the blond haired Slytherin responsible for the chaos, standing before her in a navy blue suit with a rose in his hand. He smirked smugly at her.

"Nice to see you too, Granger," He chuckled and walked toward her, holding out his hand for her to take the rose. "I told you I'd look." Her eyes narrowed.

"I didn't mean buy every green outfit in Europe!" The witched hissed, snatching the rose from his hand. She tilted her face down to take in the fragrance of the flower and Draco couldn't help but notice a few strands of her curly hair fall into her face. He silently cursed the pins that once again held her hair up into a French twist.

She was about to curse him out again when there was a beep coming from her phone meaning that Michelle was on the intercom. Draco had never been more thankful for the assistant.

"Um, Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy, Minister Kingsley has requested the pair of you in his office immediately." Then the intercom went dead. Hermione looked up at the wizard in front of her with a panic stricken face. His expression mirrored hers. She quickly placed the rose on her desk and followed Malfoy out of her office towards the Minister of Magic's.

Once they reached the grand room, the pair were surprised to see Harry, Ron, and Percy already within. Harry sat in one of the two chairs, Ron stood in the corner next to the door with his arms crossed refusing to make eye contact with the couple, and Percy stood next to Kingsley Shacklebolt, the current Minister of Magic, with a scroll and a quill in his hand. Kingsley was a dark skinned man who was currently wearing deep grey dress robes and a fez to match. Sitting before him on his desk was a letter with red scrawling across it. Hermione's stomach dropped as she feared the worst.

"Ms. Granger, please sit," Kingsley gestured to the seat next to Harry. She did as she was ordered and she could feel Draco's hand rest on the back of her chair. Harry's was now laid on the arm and her gut lurched further. "I've asked you four here today because we have received a letter regarding the current rebellion. As you know, not all the Death Eaters have given up the beliefs and ways of Voldemort." Hermione could feel the hand behind her grip the chair harder. "I am going to warn you, this letter is very difficult to swallow and if you need to leave at all, feel free." Kingsley looked directly at Hermione as he said this. The Minister raised his wand and with a swish the letter opened itself to reveal a deep laugh.

"Minister Kingsley!" A raspy voice began and the four could tell it had been altered so the identity couldn't be revealed. "I bet you're thinking you're one step closer to ending the Death Eaters that still remain loyal to The Dark Lord." There was another laugh. "You're _wrong!_" The voice hissed. "We've reached out to show you exactly what it is you're up against." A muffled sound came almost as if someone was being yelled at. "I have here with me a very beautiful woman." Then a whimper sounded from the envelope. "She happens to be a _mudblood_. The Dark Lord doesn't take kindly to her lot and we must treat her as all the others." There was a pause of breath before the Cruciatus Curse was uttered and the sound of a woman's screams was heard. They were blood curdling, causing Hermione to shift uncomfortably in her seat. She hadn't heard the woman's voice anymore and instead heard her own. The three other men in the room heard Hermione's screams as well.

"Tell them what you are!" The deep voice hissed through the screams. "Tell them!"

"I'm a filthy mudblood!" The woman cried out in pain. Her shrieks returned as the spell was said again. Hermione closed her eyes trying to focus on the fact that it was not her in this situation. Bellatrix was dead and could not possibly be able to do it to her again. She inhaled a breath, needing the oxygen to clear her mind. Harry's hand rested on hers and he squeezed as the screams increased.

"You _are _a mudblood and you shall die a mudblood soon enough." The curse was released from the woman as her wailing dwindled into small sobs. "There is nothing Minister Kingsley or the blood traitor lot can do for you now." A loud crack sounded of skin against skin and the woman cried out. Hermione flinched and Draco put his hand on her shoulder. "Tell Minister Kingsley to have a good day."

"Have a good day Minister Kingsley," the woman moaned and the letter closed and dropped back on the desk as if it had been never touched. The witch that sat before the Minister couldn't open her eyes. She could only hear her own screams drown out her thoughts.

"Ms. Granger, do you need a moment?" Kingsley's voice sounded causing her memories to disappear. She opened her eyes and shook her head. He sighed and decided to continue, "We must figure out the woman they have and maybe we can pinpoint who has her and where they are." He looked at the four sets of eyes that stared at him. "Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley please gather together your teams and begin searching around where the letter was found for any signs of distress. Percy here will give you the location." Harry and Ron nodded and took the papers Percy handed to them. "Ms. Granger, we need you to begin contacting the foreign offices for any muggle-born women reported missing." Hermione nodded now. "And Mr. Malfoy, I think you already know what it is I am going to ask of you." Hermione couldn't see Draco's reaction but she guessed it was the same as the others. She was curious as to what it was Kingsley had wanted from him. "I know beginning the day with somber news is never a good start, but I truly hope to Merlin that we can save this woman's life and maybe many other's." With that, the Minister of Magic dismissed the four people from his office.

Hermione had spent the rest of the week doing exactly what had been ordered of her. She called every office and requested their missing person's reports. Many of them were curious at first as to why she was begging but they soon began to oblige to her pleas. Once she had completed that, she began sifting through the accounts in London of muggle-born women that had gone astray. She wished there was a way to connect the women she was reading about in the descriptions to the woman who was tortured in the letter.

The witch hadn't talked to her friends in the week as she disconnected herself to work on this problem. She had sent them owls and Harry stopped by every once in a while to check up on her, but she focused on finding who the woman was.

She hadn't heard from Draco the rest of the week as well and she began to wonder what it was he was up to. What was it that Kingsley had wanted from him that could possibly benefit them in this problem? It had to do with his department as no one knew exactly what department Draco was opening up for the Ministry.

At the end of the week, after work, Hermione's curiosity had gotten the best of her as she Flooed into Draco's house to find Blaise Zabini once again sitting in the window seat on his computer. He looked up and immediately an amused expression crossed his face.

"Hermione, come to get drunk?" He joked but noticed the serious look in her eye. "He's upstairs, either in his office on the second floor, or his bedroom on the third floor."

"There are _three_ floors?" Hermione asked stunned.

"There are four if you include the basement." Blaise said with a chuckle. "I'm sure you'd like the second floor best. There's a gigantic library." This perked Hermione's interest. "Feel free to look at it while you're searching for D." He said and returned his attention to his computer. Hermione walked up the stairs to see a long hallway leading to a few doors on one end and another staircase on the other. She made her way toward the end with the many doors and peeked in each to find the library.

The wind left her lungs as she opened one of the doors to find the room filled with thousands of books. It wasn't nearly as large as Hogwarts selection, but it was bigger than any muggle library she'd been in. Shelves lined the walls, touching the ceiling, and a few were set up in the center. The sunset leaked in through the windows that weren't covered by the many bookcases. She couldn't imagine where Draco had gotten so many tomes to fill the large room, but he somehow had done it.

Walking toward one of the many shelves, she scanned over the titles and realized that not only did he have books from the wizard world, but he had muggle books as well. She couldn't believe her eyes as she noted titles such as _To Kill a Mockingbird_, _The Great Gatsby_,_ Pride and Prejudice_, and many of Shakespeare's plays sitting within the shelves.

At that moment she realized she had no idea who Draco Malfoy was. Never in a million years would she believe that he would own muggle books, heal in the muggle style, or consider being friends with Harry and Ginny Potter. She had never known that he even enjoyed reading enough to have this grand room. That was when Hermione decided she needed to get to the bottom of this.

Reluctantly, she left the library to search the rest of the doors for his office. However, when she finally found the large room with the cherry wood desk and more bookcases, he was nowhere to be found. Her feet began to lead her down the hallway to the other set of stairs.

Once she reached the third floor she groaned at all the doors there were. Draco had to have a large house didn't he? Maybe it made up for something else he lacked in. With a heavy sigh, Hermione looked through each door again trying to find the blond haired Slytherin. All the rooms on the third floor, Hermione quickly learned were guest bedrooms set up in a similar fashion with crisp, white, linen sheets and sheer, pale curtains. She had found Blaise's room which was a dark blue and had clothes strewn all over the floor.

Finally, she reached the last door and cracked it open to see a room with painted grey walls, a grand, black bed with green, silk sheets, and the man she was looking for lying on top. She let out a sigh of relief and stepped into the bedroom.

With a clear of her throat, Hermione caught the figures attention and his eyes popped open to look over at the intruder.

"Granger," his voice was thick as if he had been sleeping, "to what do I owe the pleasure?" He said with a smile and sat up. She noticed that he wore a black suit and wondered why he decided that was the proper attire to wear when taking a nap. Walking toward him, she plopped herself on the bed next to him and fell back. The silk against her skin felt good. She pulled the pins out of her hair and ran her fingers through it. Draco stopped the groan in the back of his throat. He leaned back next to her and they both stared up at the ceiling.

"Where've you been all week?" She finally said as she rested her hands on her stomach. "I haven't heard from you."

"I was a wreck," he admitted easily. "Came home and broke anything I could get my hands on. It sounds stupid but I was so angry." She turned her head to look over at him. He was already looking at her. "I wish this bullshit had ended with the war." The witch nodded agreeing with him and looking back at the ceiling. "I haven't heard from you either."

"I've been trying to find some answers. But there's no way to know who she actually was. There have been hundreds of missing witches." She sighed. "Harry says that these letters have been coming for years now. They kept it under wraps so that the public wouldn't worry." Draco let out a snort.

"Typical Ministry," he said with a scowl. His arm brushed against hers as he moved it up to rest under his head. "Remember when we used to do this all the time in the Room of Requirement?" A smile spread across his face at the memories he cherished most in his life.

_"__You haven't been getting much sleep. I can see it in your eyes." Hermione said looking at the boy before her. "More Death Eater problems?" She asked cautiously wondering if she would get an answer. Draco was always reluctant when it came to his dark world. He always shied away from any of her questions and she knew that there was something big he was keeping from her, but she wouldn't push it. _

_"__More of the usual," he said bitterly, knowing that he had not slept peacefully in months. "Father is insisting I focus more of my attention on some things You-Know-Who has assigned me." He left it at that knowing Hermione wouldn't pry. He was grateful for her. "Come on, let's mess with the ceiling." The Slytherin said eagerly. He waved his wand and a giant blanket appeared on the floor. Pillows were strewn across it allowing a little more comfort. _

_Draco plopped down on the blanket and tugged on the witch's hand to puller her down with him. She fell on the pillows with a giggle. _

_Lately they had taken to charming the ceiling to act like the one in the Great Hall. Hermione had studied the charm after reading about it in _Hogwarts, A History_. One day, when Draco was down about something going on with Voldemort, she decided to test it and cheer him up. It had worked. He loved it and Hermione began to do it any time he was down. _

_As both students rested on their backs and Hermione waved her wand while muttering the charm, the ceiling began to twinkle with stars. They stared at the beauty above them in awe. However, the moment broke with Draco letting out a yawn and Hermione giggling._

_"__Take a nap, I'll wake you up before class," She said with the giggle still in her voice. He turned to her with a grateful smile and closed his eyes. It was then that the witch couldn't help but notice how beautiful the Slytherin boy was. Though his face was currently sunken with stress, it still held its magnificence. His eye lashes were blond and long, sure to make any woman jealous. Defined cheekbones and an exceptional nose were uncommon to have at such a young age but he seemed to have grown faster than anyone around them. _

_The wizard's eyebrows furrowed and he reached out, causing Hermione to gasp, and pulled her toward him. He buried his face into her curls and let out a sigh._

_"__Stop staring at me while I'm sleeping, it makes me self conscious." He whispered into her locks. Before Hermione could reply she felt his breathing even and slow. She knew he had fallen asleep and wondered how she was going to get out of his grip without waking him up. After going through every possibility in her head, she finally gave up and relaxed into the Slytherin's arms, closing her eyes and following his lead. _

Hermione smiled with him thinking about the good times she used to have with him. She looked over at him. His face was relatively the same as she had remembered from their childhood except for the fact that it was full of light.

He turned toward her to see she was staring. The corners of his mouth twitched wanting to smile at her but he held it back. There was a questioning look in her eye and he knew where they were about to go.

"Why does Harry trust you?" She asked and he let out the breath he was holding. "Why does Kingsley trust you?"

"The day of my Death Eater trial I owled Harry," he started, staring into her brown irises with a serious look in his own. "I showed him something that proved to him I hadn't been on Voldemort's side in the end. He showed Kingsley and I was let go."

"What did you show him?" She asked the question he had hoped she wouldn't. He couldn't show her yet, no matter how much he yearned too. Draco had forced himself to earn her trust on his own instead of using the past.

"Now isn't the time for it." He whispered harshly. Just like the Hermione from sixth year, she didn't push it, and he was once again grateful for it. However, she did sit up and began to put the pins back into her hair.

"I should go then. I just came to check up on you and now I need to get home and feed Crookshanks." She murmured. Draco scoffed at the idea of her still having that dreadful pet. The witch began to move off the bed when he grabbed her arm and pulled her on top of him. Her face burned red and she couldn't hide the embarrassment she felt, being so close to him.

"Draco what are you—"

"Stay tonight, you and I can sleep, like old times." His voice sounded as though he was pleading with her. For a moment, she wanted to say yes and snuggle further into his arms like she used to.

"This isn't old times, Draco," Hermione said abruptly. "I trusted you then." He held back the wince that threatened to show. It killed him that she didn't trust him anymore but he would find a way.

"Tomorrow," he said and this caught her off guard.

"What?"

"Tomorrow is Saturday. Why don't you come over and stay the night since we have to leave early Sunday morning to go to the Quidditch game? Blaise's date is staying too. She's coming early for dinner so I can meet her and give him a hard time beforehand." He said hopeful. Hermione thought for a few moments and finally figured it couldn't hurt to spend one night in his house. It would make traveling to the Quidditch match much easier and it meant she would get to me Blaise's secret date before anyone else.

"Alright, tomorrow, what time should I arrive?" He couldn't hold back the smile now that was bright across his face. Hermione couldn't help but notice the boyish look he had back. Malfoy hadn't looked like that in years and she had forgotten how charming he truly was.

"Well, his date won't get here until around five for dinner," his eyebrows rose, "but you could always come early and spend time with just Blaise and me." He winked.

"I do want to raid your library…" Hermione said, thinking for a moment. "Alright, I'll Floo you when I'm coming over." Draco squeezed the witch that was still in his arms. She laughed and kissed his cheek without thinking. Before she could apologize he pressed his mouth to her forehead and then gazed down at her. The boy was gone, now the man lay under her holding her in his arms.

Hermione blushed and pulled herself from his grasp. After many stuttered goodbyes and a promise to see each other tomorrow, Hermione apparated out of Draco's house and into her own, and she looked around with a heavy sigh.

Tomorrow was definitely going to be interesting.

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**I hope you guys enjoyed it! Please review! I would love to know what it is you guys think about the story. I have one somewhat consistent reviewer and I adore her for it! More of you telling me your opinions and ideas would be fantastic!**


	6. Chapter 6: I'm Still Learning to Love

**Hello! So I'm a little late but my beta reader was working and couldn't get the story back to me in time. Buuuuuuuut, this is a pretty long chapter.**

**Before we get started I just ****_really_****wanted to thank you all for your reviews. You guys have no idea how much happier it makes me when I see that I am getting a response. Please keep it up. I accept suggestions and most of the time I end up putting them in my story. I already have a plan for some of the suggestions I ****received****last chapter and I'm really excited to see what you guys think of it!**

**Alright, enjoy some Dramione filled chapter. Some of your questions may be answered and some of you may be still wondering exactly is going on. Ha! **

**Anyway, Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 6: I'm Still Learning to Love**

Saturday, the first day of the weekend, the day Hermione enjoyed sleeping in or catching up on her reading. Saturday, the day Hermione insanely promised Draco Malfoy she would spend with him. Her curiosity just had to get the best of her, didn't it? Since the moment she had stepped into Malfoy's library and seen works that she never imagined he'd own, Hermione began to wonder who he really was and she had to get to the bottom of it. Apparently, this meant taking the day to be with the blond wizard and his best friend, Blaise.

When Hermione woke up that fateful Saturday morning, she groaned and slammed her face back into her pillow. Eight in the morning was too early for such a lovely Saturday. After tossing and turning for the next few minutes, she gave up and lugged herself out of bed.

Once she finished showering, getting dressed, packing her bags, charming Crookshanks' bowl to refill when empty, and eating breakfast, Hermione finally decided that she was going to warn Draco that she would be arriving soon. She threw the Floo powder in the fireplace and said Draco's address. However the Slytherin she expected to answer did not.

"Hey Hermione," Blaise said through the embers. "Draco's still asleep."

"Could you let him know that I'll be there in half an hour?" She asked not surprised to find the blond to be still in bed.

"Yeah sure thing, see you then." Before she could reply the embers died.

With a sigh, Hermione plopped down on the couch in her flat and picked up a book from the end table. She had only gotten a few pages in when her eyelids started to drift and she fell back asleep.

_Her ear splitting scream filled the room loud enough that it had probably cracked the windows. She pleaded for the person to stop using the curse on her but the pain didn't cease. _

_"__P-please," she begged. There was only a shrieking laugh as the curse continued on. Bellatrix Lestrange was crouched over her on the floor being the cause of her torture._

_"__What else did you take in my vault, mudblood?" Bellatrix hissed, "Do not lie to me!" Hermione thrashed her head back and forth not knowing what else Bellatrix was talking about. "Tell me mudblood!" Before Hermione could even let out a breath the curse was put back on her and she continued to cry out. "I'm going to give you a gift! A reminder for you every day to remember what you are," Bellatrix said taking her wand and moving toward her left forearm. _

_Hermione sobbed as she began to feel something sharp carve into her arm. The evil witch above her was cackling wildly as she wrote 'mudblood' into the girl's skin. It would always remind her of the horrors. _

_When Bellatrix finished her work, she pulled back to admire her art on the brunette witch's body. The blood she had considered dirty dripped from the crimson letters down the crying girl's arm and onto the marble floor. She smiled triumphantly until Hermione let out a cough of a familiar name. _

_"__Draco," she moaned looking at something behind Bellatrix. The older witch whirled her head around to see the blond haired boy standing there with his wand clenched in his hand at his side. _

_"__Draco," Bellatrix cooed emphasizing the 'o' in his name. "Why don't you do the honors and finish her off boy." The black haired woman stood up and stepped away from the crumpled figure on the floor. Draco moved forward, toward Hermione and his aunt. His eyes were on the brunette as he watched her gasping for air from her previous encounter with the Cruciatus curse. "_Finish her_!" Bellatrix hissed now. Draco raised his wand and pointed it at Hermione. His hand shook furiously. _

_Hermione closed her eyes waiting for her death. She heard the words leave his lips and a flash of green light appear behind her eyelids, but when she felt herself still strive for air she realized she hadn't been the one to die. Her eyes flew open and she looked over at the black heap on the floor next to her. Bellatrix was dead. _

_Draco leaned down next to her and took her face in his hands. _

_"__Hermione, I'm so sorry! I wish I could have stopped her sooner," tears spilled down the Slytherin's face. She looked up at him. Her cracked lips hurt as she tried to smile at the man that had just killed her torturer._

_"__You saved me."_

Hermione jumped up with a gasp and her head crashed into something.

"Bloody hell!" She hissed and looked up to see her savior clad in dark jeans and a short sleeved oxford, kneeling on the floor next to her. His hand was to his forehead as he had been the thing she collided with.

"Good morning to you too, Granger," Draco said through his teeth.

"Why are you here?" she snapped sitting upright on the couch. Draco let out a chuckle and moved to sit next to her.

"You told Blaise you were going to be at my house thirty minutes ago. When you didn't show up I thought something was wrong. That's when I came by to see you were having a nightmare." The brunette witch tensed and looked down at her hands. "What was it about?"

"Nothing," She dismissed quickly. Draco decided that he was going to show her the kindness she had always shown him and not push it. He stood up, walked toward the fireplace, and picked up her duffle bag.

"Come on, we should go, I have a present for you." He held up his arm and she took it. Picking up some Floo powder from the fireplace, Hermione shouted Draco's address and they stepped into the flames.

Standing there waiting for the pair in blue boxers and a large grey shirt, stood Blaise. He had a smirk on his face and his arms were crossed. Hermione walked toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Blaise returned the hug and laughed at Draco's envious glare.

"Thank you for waking him up," Hermione said pulling back with a smile. "I bet it wasn't easy." Blaise cackled now.

"Actually, at first he just groaned and waved me off but then I told him you were on your way and he jumped out of bed." Draco growled at his friend. His cheeks held a tint of pink. Hermione couldn't believe that Draco Malfoy was blushing. She couldn't help but burst into giggles and Blaise joined in with her amusement.

"Don't you have to get dressed?" Draco hissed angrily. "I need to show Hermione her room and get her situated then we'll go to lunch." Blaise, still chuckling, nodded his head and made his way upstairs leaving his best friend and the witch, who continued to laugh. "Are you done?" The blond snapped. She shook her head and held her stomach but when she looked at his face and saw him fuming she stopped.

"Oh come off it! You know Blaise and I were just picking fun. You can dish it but you can't take it?" He rolled his eyes and picked up her bag. Moving toward the stairs, he didn't even tell her to follow him, but she did.

When they reached the third floor, Draco opened the door to reveal a room that didn't look anything like the ones she had seen the day prior. Inside, was a grand room with golden curtains hanging above the four windows looking out over the land, a marble fireplace that faced a bed with a black wired headboard and footboard. There was an archway above the board that was embellished with golden designs and lights hidden within.

Hermione couldn't hold back her gasp as she looked at it. Draco smiled smugly, knowing the Gryffindor would like the room. He placed her bag down next to the bed. That was when she noticed a silver package with a green ribbon tied around it sitting on the golden covered mattress. She walked over and picked it up.

"What's this?" the brunette asked. Draco smirked.

"What did you end up picking for a green outfit?" He said taking the box from her hands. Hermione opened her bag and pulled out a long sleeved, green, button down blouse. Draco shook his head. "Well this one is my favourite." He handed her the box and pulled the blouse from her grasp. With a sigh, Hermione pulled on the ribbon and took the lid off. She lifted the green garment from the tissue paper and let out another gasp. It was a plain green dress with quarter sleeves and a pleated skirt. The simplicity was what she loved about it because it was old fashioned looking.

"It's perfect." Hermione said and looked over at the blond. Draco's smug grin returned and he shrugged. "Don't let it get to your ego! This doesn't mean I actually like you as a person or I think you're some amazing shopper. You're still a git."

"I take that as a thank you Granger," he said with a chuckle. "Blaise is probably waiting for us." She nodded, placed the dress back in its box, returned the lid, and follow Draco out of her bedroom.

* * *

"_Muggle_ London?" Hermione asked shocked as she looked around at all the non magical people walking past them. Her gaze landed on Malfoy and she stared at him incredulously.

"Yeah, he likes it here. Almost bought a house," Blaise said answering Hermione's amazed tone. "We came here after we defected."

"Two Death Eaters lived in muggle London?" Draco scowled and walked ahead towards a small diner. Hermione turned to Blaise and saw him mouth 'touchy subject.' She and Blaise quickly rushed after the fast blond. They both kept quiet in fear of angering him more.

Once inside the diner Draco held up three fingers and the woman clad in a pink dress and an apron led them toward a blue lined booth. Draco moved in next to Hermione leaving Blaise on a side by himself. The dark haired Slytherin couldn't help but let out a smirk at his friend, however, Hermione was to oblivious as she had already picked up a menu deciding what it was she wanted to eat.

"Man I haven't been here in forever," Blaise reminisced, "Remember that one night when we had just gotten back from that party and there were those crazy girls that were so drunk?" Draco chuckled and nodded his head.

"We ended up buying them coffee for their drunk but that one brunette kept putting more alcohol in." The boys both laughed. Hermione smiled at them, knowing how close of friends they were and everything they had been through. They had defected and fled Hogwarts together. "Remember when we first came to muggle London and that one lady thought we were salesmen because we still had our school uniforms?"

"Or when we ended up in that men's club and you almost got pulled into a lap dance," Blaise laughed and Draco smirked at the thoughts. "I think you were almost as red as the time I caught you and 'Mione in the Room of Requirement." Hermione blushed and looked down at her hands.

"We thought you were going to tell Theo and Pansy," Draco chuckled. "I was honestly scared for Hermione's life. You know how Pansy can be when she's jealous and she still had that _huge_ crush on me." Blaise nodded with a smile.

"Didn't she think you two were going to get married?" Hermione asked. "I mean, we all thought you two were betrothed or something."

"I swear she probably thought we were." The blond wizard rolled his eyes. "She was insane always following me around like a puppy."

"We _did_ call her Pug-faced Pansy…" The brunette admitted sheepishly. "Her face was really flat." Both boys stared at her for a second before bursting into a fit of laughter.

"That's—a perfect name!" Blaise said trying to speak through his tears of amusement. Hermione couldn't help but giggle along with them.

Their burst stopped as a waitress, dressed just like the hostess, came up asking for their order. After the trio gave her their food demands, Draco left to go to the restroom.

"You guys really sound like you had a great time when you left Hogwarts." Hermione tried breaking the silence they had.

"We did after a few months. At first Draco was really depressed, he still had his demons he had to deal with and that was hard for the both of us. He'd have nightmares where he'd wake up screaming and sweating." Blaise frowned, "I could tell a lot of his problem was you…" he confessed. "He felt so guilty about what he had done to you and that you didn't trust him anymore." Hermione stared at Blaise and the flood of memories returned to her head.

_Draco and she hadn't talked in a few months and she could slowly see him darken before her eyes. He had gotten thinner and his irises were nearly black now instead of the normal silver. The Slytherin's patience was thin as he snapped at nearly anyone that looked at him wrong and scared every student. He lost his Head Boy status and was replaced by none other than Ron Weasley. Hermione hated seeing Draco crumble like this but he had told her to stay away from him. They had only met one other time after Blaise had come to get him for his meeting with his father._

_"__Hermione, I can't explain what's going on," Draco said furiously staring at her as he walked into the Room of Requirement. "We can't meet anymore." Hermione's eyebrows furrowed not even attempting to hide her disappointment._

_"__Is it Voldemort?" She asked, "Or your father?" Draco didn't answer and grabbed her shoulders pulling her toward him. _

_"__I can't tell you. I want to so badly but I can't." He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face into her hair for what he felt would be the last time. "I promise that whatever happens in this war I will never intentionally hurt you." His tone was grave and it scared the witch. "You _have _to stay away from me. No matter what happens, how curious you get, you _must_ stay away from me Hermione." She pulled back to stare into the storms that were his eyes. Trying to figure out what going on, she continued to look at him but the only thing she saw was fear. _

_"__Okay," she murmured and kissed his cheek. A barely noticeable smirk touched his face and he leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead, then her nose, and he stopped just before her mouth._

_He wanted to tell her he'd hope they could get back to a friendship after the war, but he didn't think it would be possible after what he had been ordered to do. Instead, he pulled back from the brunette and moved toward the door but stopped as his hand touched the knob. _

_"__Thank you, Hermione." He said repeating the words that had shocked him when she had first uttered them that fateful day in the spare classroom. As Hermione turned around to reply she saw that he was gone. Her heart cracked slightly as she stared at the empty space he had once stood._

_She had continued on with her life but couldn't help and think back to the days where she would sneak away into the Room of Requirement to meet him. He was her escape from the chaos of school and the war. She began to wonder if they would ever become friends again since she had now seen him take the path of darkness. _

_One day though, after hearing that Katie Bell had been attacked by dark magic, she and Harry rushed to talk to the witch about what had happened. _

_"__I was walking to Hogsmeade and Malfoy had stopped me to give me a box." Katie looked directly at Hermione now. "He told me to give it to you, Hermione." It was at that moment that Hermione's heart dropped to her stomach. Draco had tried to get her killed. "He told me that I shouldn't open it and that you should only touch the tissue paper when handling it because it was expensive. I couldn't help but sneak a peek when I felt something come over my body." Katie admitted. "He looked scared when he handed it to me but I thought maybe he was just embarrassed for being seen giving me a present for a girl he was supposed to loathe so much." _

_Hermione didn't know how to handle the information that she had heard from Katie. Draco Malfoy, the boy she had grown to enjoy being around, someone she trusted with everything, had tried to kill her with a bewitched necklace. She didn't understand how it was possible. The real Draco had promised he would never hurt her. She needed answers from him. _

_Her opportunity arrived a few days later when Draco walked into the Great Hall to see Hermione, Harry and Ron standing there with accusatory looks on their faces. He immediately retreated back out the grand doors towards Myrtle's bathroom. The witch followed him inside and watched as he clenched the sink like it was his life. The Slytherin let out a sob that broke Hermione's heart at the sound. She stepped forward but stopped as he ripped off his black jumper and continued to cry. When his eyes rose to the mirror he saw her standing in the background and he whirled around raising his wand to her. _

_"__Get out!" He hissed at her. She shook her head and stepped forward. "I'm warning you Granger! Get the fuck out!"_

_"__Draco, just tell me what's going on. You can trust me." He shook his head furiously as the tears continued to stream down his face. "Please, what's going on? Why did you try to kill me?"_

_"__Get out!" He yelled again. She stepped forward once more but it was too close for Draco and he did the first thing that came to his mind. "_Impedimenta_," he uttered the spell. Hermione jumped out of the way before she was hit. Lifting her wand she shouted a spell of her own and their battle began. _

_"__Please Draco!" She shouted between curses but he wouldn't stop._

_"__I told you to leave me alone!" _

_"__You also told me you wouldn't hurt me!" She screamed and this stopped him dead in his tracks. He didn't move as Hermione shouted the curse to cause him to fall to the ground unconscious. Rushing out of the bathroom in tears she ran to the Common Room where Harry sat waiting. Immediately she began to sob into his robes but refusing to tell him what it was that had happened. That was the day she stopped trusting Draco Malfoy as he had broken his one promise of never hurting her. _

"Hermione," Blaise said and she returned to the present. "He probably would kill me if he knew I told you this but you were the best thing that ever happened to him. His entire demeanor when you two were talking was different. He looked at the world like we all had a chance of surviving unharmed." A smile barely touched Blaise's lips, "He actually had me believing that we could be part of the good team." A snort escaped from him, "like that was ever possible."

"You could have sought refuge with the Order. Two defected, Death Eaters that knew Voldemort's plans and were young. They would have taken you in a heartbeat." Blaise opened his mouth to speak but a voice next to her quickly started.

"That would have been suicide." Draco hissed as he slid into the booth next to her. She looked over at him confused. "Voldemort would have destroyed us had he caught us. He didn't take kindly to the defected." Blaise nodded agreeing with is best mate. "Plus, it's not like anyone in the order trusted me." He said with a little more venom in his voice than he wanted. Hermione's eyebrows furrowed at his dig. Her gaze moved to her hands as she pursed her lips angrily.

Before Blaise could say anything to break the now icy tension between the couple, the waitress returned with their food and drinks. He was grateful they had something to focus on instead of the topic of the past. However, he noticed they began to shoot each other dirty looks between bites and he couldn't help but let out a sigh. The glares then directed themselves on him.

"Bloody hell, you're both adults now, grow up. The past is… well in the past. Hermione don't you think Draco has proven he can be trustworthy again as he is doing this Weasel charade for you? D, Hermione is giving you a chance. Don't go blowing it away with your rude comments. You both better behave in front of my date or Voldemort's wrath will have been nothing compared to mine. Shove it and let me enjoy lasagna." He hissed and shoved his fork into the layered pasta. Hermione turned red and looked down at her food, embarrassed because Blaise was right. They were adults and they needed to act like it. Draco's free hand rubbed against her knee and she couldn't help but smirk into her soup. They could be adults.

* * *

After a day of shopping for Blaise's Quidditch clothes, Draco retiring to his office to work on some more things for his department, and Hermione invading Draco's library, the trio now stood in the living room awaiting the arrival of Blaise's date.

The dark haired man paced back in forth as Draco and Hermione sat on the couch staring at him. The blond's arm was around her for show when the witch arrived.

"Blaise, get a grip!" Draco snapped noticing how nervous his friend was. "It's a girl." Hermione elbowed him and he let out a yelp while glaring down at the brunette. "What was that for?"

"He's nervous and you belittling the situation won't make it any better, Ferret!" She hissed back. Draco smirked and leaned down to her ear.

"I ought to turn you into a ferret and see how you like it," he whispered low enough that Blaise didn't hear it. A shiver ran down her spine as she moved her face to look up at his grey eyes. They were close enough that his breath wafted in her face. She smiled up at him with red cheeks remembering his usual threat when she called him a ferret.

Turning her attention back to Blaise, Hermione noticed him leaning against the wall with a grin on his face as he stared at the pair. Her cheeks grew to an even darker shade of crimson.

"You know, when I told you two to grow up, I didn't mean for you to start snogging in front of me." Blaise joked and crossed his arms. Draco couldn't help but snort a laugh and Hermione's eyes narrowed at the dark skinned wizard. She was about to give him a piece of her mind when the bell for the Floo rang and out popped the last witch Draco or Hermione would have ever expected in the former Death Eaters' house.

"Luna?" Hermione asked and stood up leaving Draco's warmth. "You and Blaise are…" She couldn't believe her eyes as she walked over to the pale haired witch that smiled up at her. Luna Lovegood looked almost exactly as she had when they went to Hogwarts together. Her hair that was light enough to give Draco a run for his money grew to her elbows, her nose was still slightly pointed and she had the bright blue eyes that everyone wondered what she saw through them.

"It's lovely to see you, Hermione." Luna said hugging her past friend. "Blaise had told me that you were coming around more often. I wasn't surprised to hear you and Draco were dating though, as you always used to sneak away our sixth year too." The blonde shrugged as she pulled away. "Everyone could see the looks you two gave each other." Her voice was the same light, dreamy sound as if her head was in another world.

Draco stood up with a red face and held out his hand for the girl. She looked down at it with a smile but moved forward to hug Draco as well. He tensed for a second before giving in and patting the blonde on her back.

"It's good to see you Loony." Draco said with a smile. Hermione hit his arm. "What? I always call people the names I used to! It's not like I'm using it with hostility anymore." Luna beamed back at him.

"Should I call you the 'Slytherin Sex God' like all the other girls in my dorm used to say?" Blaise choked behind his date. Draco couldn't help but burst into a fit of laughter. Hermione blushed knowing that Luna wasn't lying. They girls in the Gryffindor dorm called Malfoy the same thing as they ogled about his features.

"You can call me whatever you want Luna," Draco said once his chuckles ceased. "Let me order the pizza and we can continue our discussion. I have a few questions about what else the girls of Ravenclaw said about me in their dorms." Luna nodded with a smile and followed Blaise as he quickly led her up the stairs to show her, her room. Draco moved toward the brunette and returned his lips to the spot next to her ear. "I take it from your reaction that the Ravenclaw dorms weren't the only one calling me that." Hermione turned to look at him again and this time he leaned forward and kissed her nose. She smiled up at him as he pulled back. "I have to go order some pizza." He stepped back and walked into the kitchen leaving Hermione standing there beet red.

Dinner was fun for all. Blaise was embarrassed for most of it as Luna didn't shy away from the questions Draco asked. It started modest, inquiring Luna about her job at Hogwarts as the Care of Magical Creatures Professor. She talked about Nargles, Thestrals, and other various creatures. Once Draco had gotten the small talk out of the way he began to question what the girls of Ravenclaw thought of the men of Slytherin. Luna had admitted that she never actually participated in the conversations but only overheard them as she did her homework or read a book. She boosted Blaise's ego by explaining that if she had joined in their gossip she would have talked about how handsome Blaise was.

Hermione could see that the dark haired Slytherin truly cared for Luna. The way he watched her as she talked, got her a drink every time the glass was almost empty, and how he would rest his hand on hers whenever they were within a close proximity. Luna somehow had Blaise under her spell and Hermione couldn't help but envy the girl. He treated her so well and looked head over heels in love.

Once they had finished dinner and their wild conversations, Luna and Blaise retired upstairs as Draco and Hermione cleaned up the plates and glasses. The blond had insisted he could do it on his own, but Hermione refused to let him clean up by himself.

"Blaise seems happy with her." She noted as she picked up the empty boxes from the counter. "I've never been able to read Luna well but she clearly likes him since she's around." Draco nodded silently as he scrubbed the dishes. "Can't be happy for your mate?" Hermione said a little sharper than she expected. His body tensed and he sent her a glare.

"You mean because I don't want to analyze their relationship, I don't care?" He let out a huff before continuing to wash.

"I didn't mean it like that," she replied sheepishly. "I'm sorry." Once again the man stopped and turned to look at her. He cocked an eyebrow and a small smirk dance across his lips. "Oh shove off." She hissed and moved toward him to dry the dishes. A chuckle sounded from next to her but she ignored it as she wiped the water from the plates. Once he finished he moved toward her and grabbed the towel from her hand. "Hey!" She snapped, reaching up for it.

"You're a guest in my home you're not going to be drying my dishes and putting them away. Especially since you'll probably put them away wrong," he teased. She rolled her eyes and tried for the towel again. "Admit it and I'll give you the towel." Looking at him like he was crazy she tried again. "Admit you like me." His voice was lower now as he pushed her against the counter. Her face burned as she stared up at the storms that were now inches from her.

"I don't understand." She murmured as she looked at him.

"You pretend like you're annoyed by me like you don't actually enjoy spending time with me. It's starting to hurt my feelings you know." He feigned hurt.

"What good does that do? It would just increase your ego and Merlin knows it already has trouble fitting in the room as it is." He chuckled and his breath ghosted across her face. "I like you Draco. I may not trust you to the point that I used to, but you're… enjoyable. When you're not being a bloody prat that is," Hermione said. Draco's hands moved on either side, supporting his weight using the counter. He leaned forward and smirked. The witch couldn't help but fidget slightly under his gaze and the closeness they had. His body was against hers and she couldn't help but notice that her senses increased tenfold. She could hear every sound like the clock in the next room ticking away and the wind outside causing the trees to sway and the leaves to rustle. Draco's aftershave filled her nose like a sweet spice enveloping her, making her feel warm. She could see every inch of his face, his grey eyes that had splashes of a darker color she couldn't name within them. Stubble was slowly beginning to appear on his chin as if he hadn't shaved that day. There were creases in his forehead and small laugh lines that were showing on his cheeks. She could feel his body pressed against her, torso, arms on either side of her rested against her, and his lower body barely touching her and she couldn't help but shudder slightly at the idea of him being so close. The only sense she hadn't tested was taste. At that moment she yearned to know what it was like kissing the man Luna had admitted nearly every girl in Hogwarts fantasized about. Would he surprise her and be gentle making her beg for more? Maybe he was how every girl imagined and would be hard and ensure that every part of her felt his kiss and panting for more? Either way, the girl would probably be asking for more of whatever he did.

Hermione lifted her hands to his chest and his demeanor immediately changed. He looked almost surprised that she was going to make the first move. However, he was shocked as she pushed him back and grabbed the towel from his hand continuing to dry the dishes he had just washed.

"You're a tease, Granger," Draco chuckled before taking the plates she had dried and placing them in the cabinet.

* * *

The next morning Hermione woke to Draco shaking her furiously growling for her to get up. She jumped awake and looked up at him. He rolled his eyes and walked out of the room. It was so early that the sun hadn't even come up yet.

Hermione made her way to the bathroom to shower, tame her hair, and put some makeup on. When she finally emerged, she looked to see something standing next to her bed smoothing her green dress out. She screamed loudly causing the creature to scream back and faint. Draco rushed in to see Hermione standing by the bathroom door in her towel and his house elf unconscious on the floor next to her bed.

"Bloody hell Granger, it's just Mitzi!" He hissed and walked toward his house elf. He shook her a few times before she opened her large eyes and looked up.

"Oh Mister Malfoy, Mitzi's sorry! Mitzi just finished ironing Ms. Granger's dress like you asked and Mitzi heard a scary noise and fainted!" Mitzi stood up and turned toward Hermione. Hermione noticed she wore a red, polka dotted tutu, "Mitzi's sorry, Ms. Granger!"

"It—It's okay Mitzi. Thank you for ironing my dress." Mitzi bowed and disapparated. Hermione turned to Draco with a glare. "You have a house elf?" She hissed.

"Yes, she was my Aunt Andromeda's and when 'Dromeda, may she rest in peace, died, Mitzi wanted to live with me. I gave her clothes and I pay her for her work before you go all spew on me."

"S.P.E.W," Hermione murmured but looked away. Draco stood up and walked toward the brunette. Her hair had been curled into brown ringlets that he would have killed to twine his fingers through and she had on makeup that accentuated her features bringing out her chocolate brown eyes. He was attracted to the witch even when she wasn't wearing the products but he liked seeing her change it up every once in a while, keeping him on his toes. His eyes narrowed on the light pink towel she had on, they didn't move away. It was small enough that he could see the top of her chest and landed just above her knees. He held back his moan as he realized that the only thing keeping him from her was a flimsy sheet of fabric he could have easily unwrapped.

"Maybe we shouldn't go to the Quidditch match today," he said eyeing her and her cheeks burned. "I have something much more enjoyable you and I could do." Hermione pushed him back and rushed back into the bathroom. He heard a muffled yell that sounded like 'get out' and let out a chuckled. "I'm only playing with you Granger. I'll be in my room if you want to _play_ with me." He laughed again and left her to get dressed.

Blaise, Luna, and Draco all waited downstairs for Hermione to finish getting ready. Blaise and his blonde haired date wore dark blue. Luna had on a plain strapless blue sundress. However the object that would be catching everyone's eye was the necklace that hung down of a large, open mouthed bear. Neither Blaise nor Draco had bothered to ask why she had chosen such an odd piece of jewelry as the both feared what the answer would be. Blaise wore a dark blue blazer, a white shirt, and jeans. He wasn't a fan of the matching idea, like Draco, but when Luna had suggested blue knowing it was his favorite color, he couldn't refuse.

Hermione made her way down the stairs in her green dress. Draco couldn't help but stare as she had looked perfect in it. Green truly suited the Gryffindor. She looked at him and smiled at his matching green sweater with a white oxford peaking out underneath. He glanced down at her feet to see black and white swing shoes that matched his black belt and white shirt to the T. They would definitely look like a couple today. He moved toward her and wrapped his arm around her waist. His lips were to her ear sending a shudder through her body as he breathed.

"You look fantastic," he whispered, "though I do prefer the towel." Her face burned red and she smacked his stomach.

"Luna you look gorgeous." Hermione complimented, deciding not to ask about the necklace as well. "Blaise, handsome as always," he shrugged with a smile on his face.

"And me?" Draco said next to her. She rolled her eyes.

"Let's get to the Portkey before a crowd starts. I told Harry and Ginny we'd meet them at their tent." Luna and Blaise nodded before they disapparated to the Portkey point. Before Hermione could follow them Draco pulled her toward him.

"Like I said last night Granger, you're a tease." He said and then she felt herself being apparated to the spot.

The Portkey was an old teddy bear that was missing its eyes and several limbs. The four grabbed it at the same time causing them to be teleported to the camping zone for the Quidditch Match. They searched until they found the tent with the large "W" on it for Weasley. Hermione shouted for Harry and Ginny until the flap opened and red hair popped out.

"'Mione, keep it down! Some of us are still sleeping!" George harassed as he let them inside. Of course the tent didn't look nearly as small as it appeared. It was a grand living space charmed to hold many different rooms and even a kitchen and dining area. "Dad got in early this morning after helping mum take care of the kids last night." Hermione nodded. "Lavender is sleeping after waking up with morning sickness and Fleur was up as well helping her. The rest are all getting ready." He led them toward the dining area in the large tent.

Once everyone had woken up and finished getting ready, they made their way toward the arena. Harry had been given box seat tickets, so they would be in the best place in the stadium. Everyone wore their matching clothes. Ginny complimented Hermione on her green and joked that maybe she should have been a Slytherin. Malfoy immediately agreed as he pulled Hermione closer.

Ron, noticing the way the blond held his best friend, was red with anger. He knew he had broken her heart, but she could have done so much better than the ferret. As he sat in his seat he couldn't keep his angry gaze away from the couple.

Hermione ended up between Ginny and Draco wondering what would happen since the two had already been bickering all day about who would win. The Chudley Canons were playing the Montrose Magpies. Draco had bet the Magpies would win since they had been known as the best team winning cups quite often. Ginny, however, stated that this was the Canon's best year so far and she had a good feeling about their chances. Hermione was stuck in the middle, annoyed as she didn't enjoy Quidditch as much as her peers.

Once the match had begun, everyone had started cheering for the team they had picked. Blaise would mock Draco every time the Magpies had messed up a play, causing Hermione to begin laughing at the blond's anger. Too soon though, Ginny was red with anger as the Magpies had gotten a huge lead over the Canons, causing Draco to lean back casually and put his arm around Hermione smugly.

"You just wait you prat! They'll make a comeback!" Ginny hissed and crossed her legs with a sneer. "Hermione, you should really smack him when you get home." The redhead said as her eyes darted across the arena following the players on their brooms. Draco chuckled at her remark and leaned toward Hermione.

"I can think of a few more things you should do to me when we get home." He taunted in a low whisper. Hermione slapped his chest and couldn't refrain from laughing at his statement.

"Don't think I didn't hear that Malfoy!" Ginny snapped not ripping her eyes away from the game. He turned bright red and Ginny knew it as she started to laugh along with her friend.

"Potter your wife is a bat," Draco joked.

"She hears everything! I can't keep any surprises from her unless I'm in another bloody country planning it out." The couples both laughed at the brunet's confession. Ginny leaned toward him and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you for the new pots and pans." She tantalized her husband and Harry groaned as he went back to watching the match. Another eruption of laughter filled the area.

Hermione couldn't stop herself from looking over at Ron to see he was glaring at Malfoy intensely. When his eyes met hers, his glare lessened and he gave her a pitiful smirk. She quickly looked away and returned her attention to the game. It seemed their agreement had been working as Ron began to look miserable after a few hours of sitting through the game being forced to see Draco's arm around Hermione every time he looked over at them. He would be whispering in her ear explaining some things about Quidditch, Hermione didn't truly understand. Harry, Ginny, and George would yell out answers to the questions she asked when it came to moves and plays as well.

It angered Ron that everyone in his family seemed chummy with Malfoy, acting as if he hadn't done anything wrong in the past. Ginny and Draco's repartee was really getting on his nerves as he had never expected his only sister to be so friendly with the Slytherin. His best mate, Harry, acted like Draco had been his friend all along and that he was replacing the Malfoy with Ron. The part he loathed most, though, was seeing how Draco acted with Hermione. They were a couple, Ron couldn't deny that. The way the ferret looked at his friend and touched her angered him more and more. Sometimes Draco would kiss her temple, cheek, or hand when he knew the Weasel would be looking. The ginger deserved to be infuriated after what he had done to Hermione and Draco would make sure he was angry about their contact.

The action that sent Ron over the edge was late into the game as the Canon's had caught up to the Magpies in a tie, and Hermione started feeling sleepy. She shifted her body so it rested against Draco's and her head nestled into the crook of his neck. He moved his arm so it rested behind her and began to rub her arm with his thumb. The youngest male Weasley stood up, fuming and pushed his way out of the box, excusing himself to the restroom.

Draco held back his smirk as he continued to watch the game with Hermione in his arms. He knew he would never be good enough for the brilliant witch, but he knew he could treat her better than the Weasel, even if they had been pretending.

Once the Chudley Canon's won the game, Draco handed Ginny the many galleons he owed her. She and Harry were doing a victory dance to rub it in the Slytherin's face and Hermione couldn't help but wearily giggle at their reaction. Ginny hugged Draco still laughing and cheering.

"Never, ever doubt me Malfoy," the female ginger teased. "I am _always_ right. Just ask my husband," she said jabbing a thumb toward Harry. He nodded as he wrapped his arms around his wife's waist.

"She told me we were getting married. Now look where we are," he taunted causing Ginny to smack his head. "Come now Mrs. Potter, let's get back to the tent and pack up." He kissed her cheek.

They all said their goodbyes and took their separate ways. The Weasleys and the Potters made their way back to the tent, Neville and his girlfriend Irina who was a quiet Hufflepuff from Ginny's year, left without a word as Neville needed to get back to Hogwarts to prepare for his next Herbology lesson, Blaise and Luna had decided to go to dinner to celebrate the team they picked winning, and Draco decided to take a lethargic Hermione home for rest that she needed.

As they apparated into his house, Draco moved his hands and picked Hermione up, cradling the witch in his arms. She rolled her eyes and smacked him.

"I don't need to be carried to my room!" She tried to get out from his grasp but he just chuckled and continued up the stairs toward her bedroom. "Draco, I can walk!" However, they had already reached the third floor and Draco was kicking open her door.

"I don't know Granger, you're acting pretty intoxicated. Remember the last time I let you do something by yourself drunk?" She blushed giving him the reaction he wanted. "I have some pretty valuable items in here. I wouldn't want them to end up in your hand." He laughed and placed her down on the bed. "Goodnight Granger. I'll see you in the morning." His lips pressed against the top of her head, her forehead, and then the tip of her nose. They hovered over her mouth for a few seconds and she began to wonder if he was going to kiss her. However, her thoughts were turned down as he pulled back and made his way to the door.

"Thank you for today Draco." She mumbled through the dark room. He didn't need any thanks. This was benefitting him more than it was the witch he cared so much for.

"Only for you, Hermione," he whispered before shutting the door behind him.

* * *

Draco was lying in his bed staring up at the ceiling thoughtfully. He had been awake for a few hours now, tossing and turning, cursing the witch a few doors down from him. She had always gotten in his head so easily. He felt like a teenager again as he never had gotten much sleep after spending time with the bushy haired Gryffindor. It was as if she now had the switch which allowed him to sleep or not. She had a power over him and she didn't even know it. He was wrapped around her delicate, little finger.

The door of his room creaked open and he stiffened, reaching for his wand under his pillow. A shadowy figured approached the bed. When he saw the bushy hair he sighed, relaxing.

"What's wrong Granger?" He sat up and looked over at her. She had changed into her night clothes which consisted of a tank top and plaid, flannel pants.

"Never mind, this was stupid of me," She turned to walk away when he reached out and grabbed her wrist. Pulling her into the bed with him, he pulled the blankets over her. "I keep having dreams about Bellatrix," she whispered finally as she snuggled into his bed.

"I'm guessing this started when we received that letter?" He asked and noticed her nod through the darkness. "I won't let that happen to you again." He muttered and slid back down to rest his head on his pillow. "Go to sleep Hermione. I'll be here to protect you from my insane aunt." He heard a giggle next to him and then her breaths began to even out. Knowing the witch that was driving him mental was now in the bed next to him he closed his eyes and felt that she had pressed the button to allow him to sleep.

The bushy haired, know-it-all had him wrapped around her finger, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

**So other than a few parts, it was a pretty fluffy chapter. I enjoyed writing the Blaise and Hermione moments as they teased Draco and I ****_really_**** enjoyed the parts where Draco was being "friendly" toward Hermione. **

**Please review. Let me know what you guys think of this chapter. I had a blast writing it and I hope you found it just as good to read. Give me suggestions! I am having a bit of trouble with the next few chapters and I would ****LOVE**** some ideas! **

**Have a great day/afternoon/evening/night! **


	7. Chapter 7: I'm Giving Up On You

**Hello! So I ****received some mixed reviews on the story. I really appreciate the people who were kind when pointing out the things that didn't make sense, but I promise you that it will add up in the next chapter. Hermione isn't into murderers I swear. Haha. Anyway, I do want to clear up, that a few of you thought that Bellatrix was still alive and that she was the muggle-born kidnapper. That was just Hermione relating her torturing to the actual kidnappers. Bellatrix is dead as a doornail. She however, also didn't die from the dream Hermione had where Draco saved her. It was just a dream. Sorry if I didn't make that clear enough, I tried to clear it up further in this chapter. **

**Anyway, here's chapter seven and hopefully your questions will be answered. Probably not. ;)**

* * *

**Chapter 7: I'm Giving up on You**

Hermione opened her eyes the next morning to a face full of blond. She moved away with a groan and pulled herself out of the bed. Malfoy didn't move an inch as he slept hard. She smiled as she looked at him and realized she had enjoyed the last few days she had spent with the Slytherin. He had really stepped up for her and helped her with the chaos of Ron Weasley.

A peck on the window broke her thoughts as she looked over to see a dark feathered owl holding a copy of the Daily Prophet. She held back her groan as she realized what the headlines would read. Reluctantly, the brunette opened the window and the owl flew in and dropped the paper on Draco's nightstand and chirped for a treat. Hermione dug around in the drawers and found one. The owl gulped it down quickly and returned back out the window. After closing it behind him, Hermione picked up the paper and noticed a picture of her leaning against Draco at the Quidditch match. She had a smile on her face as the blond in the photo was kissing the top of her head then her forehead and finally he lifted her hand up to kiss that as well. This was the first time Hermione had really noticed how much they looked like a couple. No wonder Ron had been throwing Draco dirty looks the entire match.

Finally, Hermione peeled her eyes away from the photo to pay attention to what the article had actually said.

**_Defected Death Eater's Further Betrayal_**

_Well known Death Eater, Draco Malfoy has shamed his family's name to a whole new level. After fleeing from the war his sixth year, the Malfoy heir was below the radar for many years until he reappeared a few months back announced as a new head of an undisclosed department in the Ministry of Magic. _

_Seemingly pushing the past behind him, Malfoy has now been spotted with War Heroine, Hermione Granger, at the Chudley Canons and Montrose Magpies Quidditch match this weekend with Harry Potter and friends. _

_The pair was seen laughing and snuggling as they enjoyed the match. Clearly, forgetting their times at the famous Wizarding School, Hogwarts, when Malfoy had terrorized Ms. Granger and her friends to no end, everyone seemed to ignore the cruel words about the Granger bloodline he used to say. Onlookers were truly confused as to when this relationship had spawned considering Granger had just been dumped by her long time boyfriend, Ronald Weasley, who was also in attendance at the game with his now fiancé, Lavender Brown._

_Close friend and past lover of Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, present as well at the Canon Magpie's match, gave us a look into what Draco's family and long time friends are possibly thinking as they learn about Malfoy's new fling. _

_"__Draco Malfoy has always been a proud man. He knows what he needs to do to get in the spotlight again and in good terms with the powerful people. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy will be happy to see their son's attempts at regaining status in the Wizarding world, but would question his ways of doing it, especially considering Granger's bloodline, or lack thereof."_

_How will this newly controversial relationship end up? We'll be watching, just as everyone else in the Wizarding world, to see what lies ahead for the young lovers. _

Hermione stared at the article dumbfounded. That was when it all came rushing back to her. How could she have been so daft as to give into him? Draco Malfoy couldn't be trusted and here she was letting herself fall for his charm and good looks. She promised him she'd give him a chance, this was far more than giving him a chance. Lying in bed with him, flirting, letting him kiss her head even when Ron wasn't around, it wasn't right and she needed to stop.

Making her way out of his bedroom and down the stairs toward the library, Hermione decided that she could use her day off to once again dig through his collection. She walked around, scanning the shelves for anything that caught her eye. Many of the books were about spells and potions.

She reached the center shelf when she noticed a book without a title. This confused her as she wondered why Draco would keep something without a name. Reaching for it and pulling it out, Hermione heard something groan and the shelves in front of her separated revealing a pensieve with ledges filled with bottles. Each bottle was filled with a silvery strand that was a memory and they were all labeled. Many were of Draco's past birthdays, others were random dates scrawled across the white tag. Hermione's eye caught one that said '_Hermione and the truth.'_ Putting down the book without a title and picking up the bottle, the witch examined its contents, wondering what memories Draco kept of her and why it had said '_the truth.'_

Hermione couldn't help but groan. How had she been so stupid? She had given in to the sixth year Draco again, the one who she had met every day in the Room of Requirement. That wasn't Draco anymore, though. It hadn't been for a long time. The Draco now was a mystery to her.

As her curiosity increased, she pulled the corked lid off and tilted it to pour in the memory. However, her hand froze. She couldn't do this. No matter how interested the brunette was in what his memories were, she couldn't intrude in something so private. If she wanted the answers, she would ask him, and he would answer them.

Corking it back up and returning the bottle to its original spot, Hermione picked up the book and made her way out of the hidden room. She put the book back in its place and the shelves moved back together.

The witch quickly headed to her room to pack her things. She was going to talk to Harry and she wouldn't leave Grimmauld Place until he answered the one question she had for him.

* * *

"'Mione, can't we talk about this another time? I thought you and Malfoy were getting along fine." Harry said sitting at the bar again.

Ginny had taken the boys out for ice cream once Hermione Flooed into Number 12 Grimmauld Place with a determined look on her face. The redhead pointed the established witch in the direction of the basement where her husband sat and called her boys in to Floo them for the tasty treat, leaving Harry and Hermione to hash things out alone.

As Hermione expected, Harry tried to shy away from her question.

"Harry James Potter, you better answer me right now or I swear to you, you'll regret it." She hissed leaning forward on the counter. He stared at his best friend in fear. Harry knew more than anyone that Hermione's wrath was not something to be toyed with.

"Look, I already told you, I don't think it's my place to tell you what Draco showed me." He said and took a swig of his firewhisky.

"I'm not asking about what he showed you, I'm asking what else you know that went on between Malfoy and me." Her voice was a low growl as she stared at the brunet.

"You two were close, you met every day in the Room of Requirement and… well I'm not exactly sure what you did." He cocked an eyebrow as if he was suspicious of their activities. Hermione refused to acknowledge his silent question and gave him a look telling him to continue. "Draco… um… well he wasn't allowed to see you anymore so you parted ways. He tried to kill you and… well you lot stopped being friends." Harry shrugged trying to give as little detail as possible. Draco needed to tell her this himself.

"Right, so you remember he tried to kill me." She leaned back and crossed her arms. "Yet, you still trust the man." Harry groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Hermione, I thought you were going to give him a chance." He said with a whine in his voice. "You have to ask him. I have no right to tell you what he showed me."

"How could you possibly trust a man that tried to kill me, Harry?" She threw her hands up. "I'll admit, he's changed, but I also thought he changed when we were in our sixth year and he _hadn't._"

"What started your questioning again?" Harry asked calmer now. "You seemed fine yesterday when you were snuggling into him at the match." The witch blushed and turned away embarrassed that she had become so stupid.

"I found his pensieve today," she said and heard Harry suck in air in front of her. "There was a memory that had my name on it." He nodded knowing what she was talking about. "Is that what he showed you?" she looked back at him. She could see his temples and jaw move as he clenched his teeth several times. Taking another breath and downing his firewhisky, Harry rested his hands flat on the bar. Was he going to tell his best friend the secret he had been keeping for years? He swore to Malfoy that he wouldn't tell Hermione everything that was in those memories.

"Yes," he breathed out, answering his own internal question and the brunette's, as well. "That is what he showed me. I saw how important you were to him and the choices he began to make, influenced by you. There were things in those memories that horrified me and things that made me realize that Draco Malfoy, like the rest of us, was a _kid_, a kid trapped in a war that he had grown up to be a part of. He didn't know any better and what I saw made me know he sure as hell tried to make up for the things he had done wrong." Harry stood up and looked at the woman he considered his sister sternly. "I am not going into detail of what I saw as I have already told you Hermione, you must ask _him_. I love you and I wouldn't allow someone in our lives if I thought they were going to harm any of us. You're my sister and you're one of the most important people in my life. I would die for you, hell I have died for you," he said with a smirk. "If you don't trust Draco, at least trust me. I know he would never hurt you but you need to ask him about what happened." Pulling his wand from his pocket he waved it causing the glass to move into the sink and the bottle of firewhisky to return to the shelf. "Go home, get some rest, think it over until you're ready, and then talk to him." He walked around the counter and wrapped his arms around her. "I love you 'Mione." She embraced the wizard back and nodded her head, silently thinking about what he had said. "I'll see you at work tomorrow." Pulling back, Hermione followed her best friend up the stairs.

She Flooed back to her flat, where she made her way toward the bathroom for a much needed bath to relax in the bubbles and mull over what Harry had finally answered. In truth, Hermione didn't know when she would be ready to face Draco again and discuss the past. Blaise had told them to put it away, but she just couldn't. Not yet.

* * *

It had been two weeks. Two bloody weeks since the witch had talked to him. He had woken up to find the Daily Prophet on his bed with their picture and he immediately cursed Pansy once he had read the article. After searching the house he realized she was nowhere to be found. He had sent the Potters an owl and Harry finally responded saying she had visited him but was no longer there.

She ignored his calls and owls, asked her assistant to shoo away any visitors, closed her Floo so she couldn't have guests, and put wards up around her flat, preventing him from apparating inside and asking her what the bloody hell had been going on.

Two weeks since he had seen her bushy brown hair and matching chocolate eyes. He didn't understand what was going on as he had thought she quite enjoyed being with him at the Quidditch match.

Draco refused to let the silence go on any longer. He had given her long enough to come to him as he stormed into the Ministry of Magic, two weeks after spending the night with Hermione. He passed by ignoring people who waved at him or said hello, as he was a man on a mission.

Once he reached her floor and saw her assistant sitting at her desk tapping away at the keys, he moved forward and without even waiting for her to notice, he slammed open the door and stared the brunette right in her big, brown irises.

"No!" Michelle squeaked as she stood up trying to pull Draco out of Hermione's office. "Please Mister Malfoy! She doesn't want any visitors!" The blond tugged his arm from the girl's grasp and moved further into the room.

"Where the hell have you been?" He hissed as he glared down at the witch. "I've been trying to get a hold of you for two weeks and you haven't had the decency to bloody answer me!" Hermione looked up at him with a straight face. She took in a breath before turning to her assistant.

"Michelle, could you please give us a moment." The girl quickly left the room and shut the door behind her. Her gaze returned to Draco and her eyebrows furrowed angrily. "Don't you _ever_ come in my office again like that, got it? I am trying to run a department and I can't allow your nonsense to show up whenever you please storming into my office. What if I had been in a meeting? What if Kingsley had been in here talking with me about the missing muggle-born?" She growled. The blond just stared at her.

"Why haven't you talked to me?" He said, calmer now. "Harry told me to give you time, but two weeks seems like quite a while, don't you think?"

"You talked to Harry?" She asked and he nodded his head once. Taking a deep breath, Hermione stood up and walked toward the Slytherin. "I needed some time to think. I really enjoyed myself that weekend. Truly, I forgot how much fun it was to be with you. But I woke up that Monday morning and I felt so stupid. I don't know who you are and I want to believe that you're the same Draco I used to sneak around with. You're _not_." She took another breath. "Draco you tried to kill me. I can't let that go. So unless you can give me a reasonable explanation in the next thirty seconds, I'm leaving and you'll never see me again. I'll find a new way to make Ronald pay." Draco shuffled nervously at her threat. He didn't think this conversation would come so soon. "Twenty nine…"

"Okay, okay!" He shouted lifting his hands in surrender. "Look, that necklace was never meant to hurt Katie or you." She stared at him like he'd gone insane. "Katie wasn't supposed to touch it. I _told_ her not to open it, but the bloody bint didn't seem to listen." He sighed. "When you touched it, it would have only zapped you. But if you had just touched the paper, like I informed Bell, nothing would have happened."

"Well it didn't just _zap_ Katie! It put her in the hospital wing!" She rushed toward him and shoved him. He shuffled back surprised at her reaction. "You tried to hurt me in Myrtle's bathroom!" Tears were now streaming down her face. "Draco you _promised_ you would never hurt me."

"Hermione, I—I know what I did _looked_ like I was trying to hurt you, but I wasn't! I was trying to protect you!" She scoffed loudly.

"How do you expect me to believe that you bloody git?" She moved right into his face and she could feel his panicked breaths across her cheeks. "You pointed your wand at me and tried to hurt me." He shook his head.

"I didn't aim for you! I never aimed for you! I made sure that it wouldn't harm you because I didn't even use spells that would hurt you! They were only stunning spells. I wasn't allowed to be close to you. I couldn't let anyone see you with me!"

"Why?" She cried out.

"I can't explain this. You'll never believe me if I _tell_ you. You have to… see it for your own eyes." Draco sighed again knowing that he had to show her. He had no other choice anymore.

"You mean, in the pensieve?" She hissed, her tears stopping. He looked at her in shock. "Yeah, I found it. I found it that Monday when I woke up."

"Did you look at the memories?" His voice was hoarse.

"No, I'm no Katie Bell." For just a moment, they shared a smile but the easy mood fell just as quickly as it had started. "I want to see what you showed Harry, Kingsley, and the Weasleys. I want you to prove to me I can trust what you're saying." He nodded.

"Tomorrow night after work, come over and I'll let you look at the memory."

"How do I know you won't tamper with it?" He sighed and moved toward her phone. She silently questioned what he was doing as he punched in a few numbers and picked up the phone.

"Harry, could you do me a favor and go to my house and get the memory from the library?" he paused a second as Harry was replying. "Yes, she and I are finally talking about this," another pause, "don't sound so bloody excited. Take it home and keep it with you until tomorrow night after work." Draco slammed the phone back in its cradle. "Does that work for you? Potter has it. He would never tamper with it." She nodded her head.

"Now get out of my office." She hissed, "And don't return until I give you permission." He stood there for a moment, staring at her. Her makeup had run slightly from the tears and her hair frizzed even though it had been pulled back into a tight bun. He nodded his head and made his way to the door. He stopped when he touched the handle.

"You told me the other day, that you enjoyed being around me and you actually liked me. What happened?" He asked looking up at her. She could see the broken look in his eye.

"I woke up," the witch replied before sitting back down in her seat and continuing to shuffle through her paperwork. When she looked back up he was gone.

* * *

That night when Hermione went to bed, she had an uneasy feeling in her stomach. For the past couple of weeks, she had been having severe nightmares to the point where she would wake up thrashing, sweating, and crying. The lamp next to her bed had been one of several casualties in the dream warfare.

The dreams consisted of the same plot. Bellatrix was torturing her. However, each time something different happened after 'mudblood' had been carved into her arm. Sometimes Harry would be the one to save her, other times Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's mother and Bellatrix's sister, would come in and plead for her sister to stop harming Hermione, the worst times were when Ron would end up being the one causing her the pain.

Sliding into her bed, Hermione relaxed on the mattress, hoping that tonight would be different and her internal battle would cease. Just one night, that's all she wanted. The witch closed her eyes and silently wished that she could have a dreamless night. However, her answer came as sleep took her.

_"__What else did you take in my vault, mudblood?" Bellatrix hissed like she normally did, "Do not lie to me!" Hermione thrashed her head back and forth. "Tell me mudblood!" The curse returned and she continued to cry out. "I'm going to give you a gift! A reminder for you every day to remember what you are," Bellatrix took her wand and positioned it above her left arm. _

_Hermione sobbed as she began to feel something sharp carve into her. The cackling witch wrote 'mudblood' into the girl's skin. It would always remind her of the horrors. _

_Bellatrix pulled back to examine her work and continued to cackle menacingly. In the corner of Hermione's eye she saw a white figure approach and her heart sunk to her stomach. _

_Voldemort made his way toward the witch writhing in pain on the floor. His pale, vein covered face smiled down at her as he watched her in agony. Reaching into his black robes, he pulled out a black box containing a silver object. She choked knowing it was the necklace Draco had given Katie that was intended for her. The dark wizard held out the box for the woman beside him and she picked it out. Bellatrix bent down and held up the necklace as if she was about to put it around her neck. _

_"__I should have given this to you myself, my dear mudblood." His voice was a hiss as his Death Eater leaned forward and placed the necklace on her. She screamed out as blackness filled her eyes and pain shot through every vein in her body. Her limbs began to thrash back and forth as the torment increased. The witch could feel her heart beating faster and faster as if it were working overtime trying to fight the curse on the necklace. She tried to resist the pain but it was too much, it began to eat away at her strength and before she knew it her eyes clenched shut and her screams began to decrease. Her heartbeat was slowing, more than normal. All she could do now was listen to the sound of her hitched breaths and her heart. Thump… Thump… Thump… Thump… Then she tried for one more breath but she didn't feel the intake. _

Waking up with a gasp, Hermione grabbed her throat and looked down to see the necklace wasn't there. She groaned and threw her pillow over her head. Apparently, no matter how much she wished, the universe had other plans for her and her nightmares.

She peeked out from under the pillow and looked over at the clock. It was still early enough. Pulling herself out of bed and grabbing her wand, she made her way to her closet and pulled out her coat. After quickly putting it on, Hermione apparated herself to the one place she felt truly safe.

"Mum?" She called out as she walked into the living room. An older looking Hermione glanced up from a book she was reading with a smile on her face. Dr. Jean Granger and her husband Dr. Richard Granger, Hermione's parents, were dentists, and after the war Hermione had found them in Australia and returned their memories after tedious tests.

"Hermione, darling, what are you doing here so late at night?" She asked as her daughter plopped down on the couch next to her. "Did Ronald do something else?" Hermione shook her head.

"No, he and I don't really talk much." The witch looked down at her hands and tears filled her eyes. "Do you remember me writing you in sixth year telling you about a Slytherin boy?" Her mother nodded.

"The boy who used to call you that foul word then you both became friends? You never spoke of him when you arrived home that year. I presumed you both had gone separate ways after quite some time."

"Well, he went through another dark phase where he was serving Voldemort and he tried to kill me." Jean's eyes widened as she stared at her daughter, "and now, he's back in my life again because Harry trusts him."

"Though the idea of someone trying to kill you horrifies me, Harry is rarely wrong about these things. He knows who to trust usually." Her mother said, knowing Mr. Potter very well. She considered him a son.

"He's been so kind and treats me very well. I end up forgetting the dark parts of our past when I'm with him." Dr. Granger nodded a few times as she listened to her daughter. "However, deep down, I can't trust him because, mum, he tried to _kill _me."

"Have you discussed the situation with him?"

"Yes, he wants to prove to me that he was trying to protect me." Hermione sighed and rested her head against her mother's shoulder. Jean wrapped her arms around her daughter. "I just don't know what to do."

"Well, darling, you're not dead. His explanation of protection seems to be what happened don't you think?" Jean said softly. "However, I will remind you, everyone deserves a second chance. Ronald does as well." Hermione swallowed nervously as she leaned on her mom. She wasn't going to tell her about his cheating yet.

"You're right, I'm just, confused." The witch sighed again. "Life has been so difficult lately."

"It will only get worse darling. That's why you surround yourself with the people you love and that love you and focus on the fun you're having through the hard times." Jean rubbed her daughter's arms. "I find it concerning he tried to kill you, but Harry seems to think this Slytherin boy deserves a second chance and I know he would never put you in harm's way." Hermione nodded knowing her mother was right. Harry was her brother and always knew what was best for her in the end.

"Thank you mum," she whispered.

"Have you been having trouble sleeping?" Jean asked causing Hermione to look up at her surprised. "I can see it in your eyes."

"The nightmares are back." Hermione admitted, biting her lip.

"Why don't you stay the night tonight? I'm sure being in a different setting might make it better." Jean said, letting go of her daughter and standing up. She placed the book she had been reading back on the shelf.

"Okay," Hermione said following her mother's lead as she placed her coat on the hook.

After kissing her mother's cheek goodnight, Hermione made her way into her old bedroom and snuggled into the quilted sheets. Sleep took her peacefully and she could finally get some rest especially considering the day she had to deal with tomorrow.

* * *

A knock on her door made her nearly jump out of her chair. Hermione had been on edge all day which caused her not to do anything other than push papers back and forth. The knock sent her into panic as she had hoped that it wasn't Kingsley asking her how her progress was.

She looked up to see Harry slide in with a smile. Letting out a breath of relief, Hermione gestured to the chairs in front of her. He obliged and leaned back in the chair.

"You seem nervous." He said, smirking. "Are you afraid you're going to see something there that will make you forgive Draco?" She wouldn't look at him, wouldn't answer him. Truth was she didn't know why she was so nervous or what she truly expected to happen tonight. All she knew was that she wasn't in her right mind at the moment. "He told me about yesterday." Her eyes stayed glued to her paperwork. "He thought you were mad about what Pansy had said in the article."

"I don't care what Pansy Parkinson has to say. I've never liked her and I'll never believe a word that comes out of her Pug-face. I am angry because I am sick and tired of everyone saying that he's changed and that he and I could be good friends but no one has told me why they think that. He wants me to trust him so badly he should have bloody shown me the pensieve then."

"Do you ever think that maybe he didn't because he's trying to prove himself to you without the past?" Hermione's eyes finally flickered up to Harry's. "Draco Malfoy is a proud man, to say he earned your trust using dark memories, not something he'd want to go around bragging about." There was a knock on the door and Hermione and Harry both looked over to see Michelle standing there.

"Hermione, it's six, you have an appointment with Mister Malfoy." Hermione thanked her assistant and rose, smoothing out her pencil skirt.

"Are you ready?" Harry asked causing her to look up at him and she him holding the small vile she had seen two weeks ago. She shook her head. "Come on 'Mi. This is nothing compared to Voldemort."

"Strangely, I'd rather be there."

"That's just because you know how it will end. This you have no idea and you hate not knowing." She walked toward him and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Harry was right, she did hate not knowing how this situation would result, and that ate away at her. They reached the Floo stations and Harry said Malfoy's address loudly and clearly, since Hermione could barely speak.

After stepping through the green flames into the familiar house, the pair looked over to see Blaise packing a duffle bag. He looked up with a halfhearted smile.

"I heard about the little pensive party, decided it would be best if I stayed with Luna at Hogwarts tonight. Don't really want to be around if she decides to hex D to oblivion." Blaise joked and lifted the bag's strap over his shoulder. Harry laughed with the Slytherin. "I'll see you lot another time then. Hermione, good luck to you, Harry, be sure you're hidden behind a desk once she gets out." They shared another chuckle before Blaise apparated out of the house.

Making their way up the stairs to the library, Hermione couldn't help but feel her heartbeat in her throat. She was finally going to see this pensive that everyone had been talking about. The truth would be revealed to her and she could finally make her own decision as to if she trusted the blond or not.

Harry opened the door to the library first, revealing Draco sitting at one of the desks with his head in his hands. He clearly looked disheveled as his tie was loosely knotted, his sleeves were rolled up, one higher than the other, a few buttons were undone, and his hair was standing in several different directions. The sound of their footsteps caused him to look up and immediately his eyes landed on her. They were a much darker grey now as the rim of his iris nearly looked black.

The Slytherin stood and made his way toward the shelves that held the secret room. He pulled out the book that had no title and the shelves creaked apart revealing their hidden truth. The pensive glowed in the dark room illuminating the many glass bottles around them Hermione had seen before.

Harry handed Draco the crystal vial and the blond popped the cork off and dropped the silver strand of his memories into the pensieve. They swirled gently, mixing into the other liquid before dropping into black puffs like food coloring exploding into water.

The grey eyes turned to her and their owner took a deep breath.

"I will tell you like I told Potter and everyone else. Don't leave until it pushes you out. You'll know." His voice was hoarse and it sounded so wretched. "Once you exit, I will answer any questions I can." She nodded her head and felt Harry squeeze her shoulders.

The witch took a deep breath and stepped toward the large bowl. Closing her eyes, she inhaled slowly and then released. She was finally going to see it. Her questions would finally be answered. No one could avoid the truth anymore. It was sitting before her, swirling around in black and silver.

Bending forward, Hermione's face dipped into the memories. Immediately, she was pulled in to witness the first part of Draco Malfoy's memory.

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**Sorry not sorry about the cliffhanger. I had this planned all along (****mwahahaha)**** and I know one of my reviewers doesn't appreciate cliffhangers but I** _have_** to put Draco's memory in its own chapter. If you lovely people have any ideas that you would really like to see added into his memory or any part of the story, please feel free to leave it as a review or even private message me. I love when you guys give me ideas and I can add them into my story. It helps fuel ****_my _****imagination. **

**Review! Tell me what you think! Give me suggestions on how to improve!**

**Have a great rest of the week and Happy Mother's Day to the Moms. **


	8. Chapter 8: I'll Be The One

**Hai! I wanted to thank you guys for your reviews! I love them oh so much. Honestly they send smiles to my face and urge me to keep writing. So I would have updated yesterday, but something got me a little down about my story so I lost the will to write it. But only for a day! It's here now! Draco's memories. I tried really hard to keep it similar to when Harry saw Snape's memories but I did try to shorten some because this chapter was getting pretty long. I really hope you enjoy this because I have been working on this chapter since before I started updating. I think I have about 20 different documents on my phone just of ideas of what to do for this. You maaaay not like the ending. heh. **

**Enjoy Chapter 8. Hopefully this clears up all the questions. Or maybe leaves you with more. (mwahahah) **

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**Chapter 8: I'll Be the One**

Hermione fell. Her body was dropping through the surroundings of grey and black, until her feet landed on solid ground. Opening her eyes she looked to see a ring of death. Death Eaters, in their intricately carved masks, black robes, and dark marks, all circled around one large chair that held the Dark Lord himself in his black garb. Hermione felt a chill run up her spine at the sight of him.

Kneeling before Voldemort rested a familiar figure with his bright blond hair dropping down in his face. His expression could not be seen as he held out his left arm for the evil wizard. He wore black robes just as the others did but it seemed he had no mask other than his locks.

Voldemort touched the tip of his wand to Draco's forearm and murmured the curse. Black coiled around Draco's skin before forming the mark that signified his allegiance. The blond's body tensed as he received the dark mark.

"Welcome Draco," Voldemort's voice hissed. Draco bent down to bow further before quickly getting up and making his way to an empty space in the circle next to his aunt, Bellatrix. His face was now clearly shown, sunken and defeated with eyes that were crystallized by tears that refused to drop.

Draco was followed by Blaise Zabini who cringed as the mark imbedded itself into his arm. Blaise had never looked tense in his life as he accepted the mark and crouched in the face of the Dark Lord. After Blaise was Theodore Notte, a friend to Draco and Blaise for quite some time. His dark hair fell into his face like Draco's as he knelt to receive his branding. He closed his eyes as Voldemort's wand touched him and his mouth pursed tightly when the spell was uttered. The evil wizard welcomed him as well before the boy made his way back to his spot in the circle.

Crabbe was next, followed by Goyle, who didn't seem fazed by the spell or the mark, and that seemed to conclude the initiation as Voldemort rose from his chair and began to walk within the circle. His eyes scanned each and every one of his followers as they bowed with their heads down.

"Your loyalty pleases me." His voice boomed through the room now. "The days of muggle-born acceptance are dwindling. We, the superior blood, shall rise and take the world that belongs to us." Voldemort stopped in front of Draco as he said his next statement. "To achieve this power, their leader must die. One of you will be tasked with the honorable duty as to take him down." With that, Voldemort raised his wand and the circle dissipated into black puffs.

Hermione's feet once again left the ground as the scene dissolved and reformed into a completely different one.

Draco was sitting next to her holding her as she cried. His hand caressed her hair as he cooed in her ear. He looked as though he had done it a million times which everyone knew was impossible. His face was buried into her hair now as he pulled her closer, comforting her as she sobbed. It was a moment so touching, that any onlooker would have thought they were a couple.

When bushy haired Hermione pulled away, her eyes sparkled with tears and makeup was splashed down her face. A frown on her pink lips gave way to the fact that she was less than pleased with herself for crying into her enemy's arms.

"Why are you _here_?" Her voice squeaked as she spoke at last. "You hate me and I hate you." Her words were cutting as she stared at the Slytherin before her. He sat there for a moment as if debating how to answer.

"I couldn't help but watch as you cried. It's quite entertaining if I say so myself. What happened? You finally came to terms with being a mud—" However, he never finished his sentence and he looked horrified at the fact he didn't call her the word. The boy stood up immediately, brushing the dirt from his robes. "It doesn't matter Granger. I'm not going to be here any longer." He turned and walked towards the door but his steps stopped as she spoke again.

"Thank you." She whispered. He whirled back around to look at her. His eyes weren't angry, they weren't rough, they didn't have a hint of the hostility they normally had in them. Instead, the glowing grey eyes he had were filled with uncertainty.

The witch stood and walked toward him. He didn't step back like expected, instead standing his ground as the brunette made her way to him. Stopping as she stood in front of him she stared into his mystified eyes.

"Thank you, Draco." An uneasy air filled the room as Hermione's hand rose up to touch his face and surprised adorned her face as she noticed he didn't flinch, but before she reached it she stopped. She rushed out of the door behind him, leaving him staring at the spot she had just been standing.

Minutes passed before the boy moved, making his way out of the empty classroom and through the halls of Hogwarts. His direction veered toward the grand steps as he headed toward the dungeons of the castle.

Once he reached the Slytherin common room, uttering the password for entrance, he stormed into the boys' dorms to find Blaise Zabini sitting in his bed practicing his magic on paper.

"Hey D, you look awful." The dark skinned wizard said without having his eyes leave the floating piece of parchment. "Rough rounds, I'm guessing. You caught Pansy shagging another Hufflepuff?" Draco scowled as he sat down on his bed.

"Do you ever think we're on the wrong side?"

"Philosophical Draco today, this one is new. I quite enjoyed drunken Draco a few days ago."

"Be serious Blaise! Do you?" He hissed. Lowering the parchment to his bed and putting his wand down, Blaise shrugged.

"What brings this up?" Blaise said, sitting up and looking over at his friend. Draco glanced down at his arms before pulling up his left sleeve to reveal the dark mark. "You're regretting it too?" Zabini whispered as if someone were around to hear him.

"I found Granger crying in a spare classroom today." The blond admitted still staring at his mark. The other boy's eyebrows rose as he stared at Draco. "I…" He sighed, "I comforted her." The reaction that was expected was not the one received as Blaise fell back on his bed into a fit of laughter.

"You?" He cackled. "You comforted the bushy haired mudblood?" Draco was up with his wand to Blaise's throat before either of them could breathe.

"Don't use that word around me anymore." He hissed at his friend before dropping his wand and returning to his spot on the bed.

"Merlin Draco, you've really lost it now." Blaise replied, rubbing his neck. "Of course I think we're on the wrong side. I thought that before I took this bloody mark but I doubt the good side would really believe me if I tried to join them."

"What if we fled?" Draco whispered as he looked up at the brown eyed Slytherin.

"We'd need to go to a place old Voldy would never find us and we'd have to do it when Hogwart's wards were down. We'd die if we tried to disapparate out of here." Draco nodded.

"We're going to have to resort to fleeing." The blond murmured ominously. "Voldemort is going to give one of us the task of killing Dumbledore. I have a hunch that it's going to be a new recruit."

"Merlin, I hope it isn't me. I don't have the guts to kill the old oaf." Draco nodded his head as he agreed.

"I don't think I could kill anyone," he sighed.

The memory cleared as a new one arrived and Hermione saw that she was back at another Death Eater meeting. Voldemort was once again surrounded by the circle of black.

"Draco Malfoy," the dark wizard hissed causing the blond's head to lift slowly. "Your father has proven what cowards the Malfoys truly are. I have good reason to kill your family now to end further humiliation." Draco's eyes closed as if waiting for the spell. "To regain honor to your family's name, you will take the task of killing Dumbledore." The boy's eyes scrunched and his eyebrows furrowed.

"Thank you, My Lord. I consider it an honor to for such a task to be bestowed upon me. I will not fail you." His voice was shaky as the words left his cracked lips. Blaise's fists were balled on the other side of the circle as he heard Draco's assignment.

Just as quickly as the memory began, it ended and the next one took its place.

Draco was sitting in one of the stools in the library quietly sobbing after the news of his task. He glared at the mark on his arm as he cried. He had immediately made his way to the library hoping that no one other than Madame Pince, the librarian, would be around.

Hermione walked around the shelves and noticed the crying Draco. She backed up at first, but made her way closer to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. The Slytherin tensed from underneath her touch. Quickly, Draco jumped up and turned to look at her while swiftly pulling his sleeve down over his left forearm. With a hiss, he glared at Hermione.

"What do you want, Granger?" He jeered and wiped his face harshly.

"Well… I—I noticed you were crying." She stammered. "I just thought I'd return the favor." Hastily, he grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the library toward a spare classroom with many passing by students gawking. As he closed the door behind them, shutting out any onlooker, he wheeled around and looked at the witch.

"You don't need to return any favors. Like I said the other day, I just wanted to watch you cry because I find it amusing." His eyes narrowed into a glare but she didn't seem fearful of the deadly look.

"So you also found it amusing to put your arms around me and tell me it was okay?" The blond haired boy just stared at her speechless.

Without a word, Hermione moved toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck. At first, the Slytherin boy tensed again but gave in and wrapped his arms around her, nestling his face within her thick hair. Soon the tears returned to his eyes and he began to sob again.

"It's going to be okay." She whispered. "Whatever happens, you're going to be okay." Draco continued to cry.

After all his tears fell, Hermione pulled back slightly and looked at him. His face gave way to the fear he had.

"What happened?" She murmured.

"Why were you crying the other day?" Draco asked instead, ignoring her question.

Hermione began to tell him about seeing Ron and Lavender snogging in the Common Room after the Quidditch Match and how Ron had been angry with her, treating her like she was a bint.

Draco began to share his problems as well as he talked about what he had been going through the past few months stemming from his father in Azkaban to becoming a Death Eater and his father's escape from the prison.

After they shared their problems with each other, Draco and Hermione sat on the floor of the spare classroom just talking. Hermione spoke of her muggle world and Draco divulged his life at the Manor and fond memories of his childhood. They looked as though they were friends, laughing as they conversed.

"I should get going I have a Prefect meeting with Ron." Hermione finally said and stood up.

"That weasel," Draco sneered as he followed her lead and got up.

"He may be a weasel but you're a ferret." She joked but her laugh stopped as he moved in closer to her. His face inches from her.

"I ought to turn you into a ferret and see how you like it." He said then allowed a smile to appear on his face revealing his joking manner. Hermione laughed again and pushed him back.

"If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm usually in the library, just… give me the book _Hogwarts, A History_," She said with a smile, "then I'll know to meet you here."

"No." Draco replied quickly. His blunt reaction caused Hermione to furrow her eyebrows and Draco couldn't help but let out a laugh. "I mean, let's meet in the Room of Requirement." She agreed and they parted ways, each with a smile on their face.

Now Hermione's vision blurred as several memories flashed around her, each beginning with the thud of the book, _Hogwarts, A History_ slamming on her usual table in the library. Each day it was someone different giving her the book but it had been sent by the same person.

A full memory appeared.

"Draco, I really have to go now. I wish I could stay but Harry and Ron are going to wonder where I've been. I can't keep using the library as an excuse because surely they'll begin to check there." He nodded at the Gryffindor girl, agreeing. "Tomorrow, we can meet back here again. We have a Charms exam and we can study for it." Draco gave the witch a look of disapproval. Hermione let out a laugh and smiled up at him. "I promise we'll have time to talk."

"The problem is, Granger I don't know how long I'll be able to see you for as I have to go meet my father again." Now it was Hermione's turn to show her displeasure. Draco, however, held back his laughter. "Either way, I'll see you here tomorrow." She nodded.

Hermione was attempting to get up and leave when Draco leaned forward and placed his lips against her forehead. She stared at him with tender eyes and crimson cheeks. On his face was a bright smile. Quickly, Hermione stood up and rushed out of the room, leaving a grinning Draco.

The small memory disappeared and was replaced with flashes of many others. She watched as their friendship slowly blossomed before her eyes in flickers of images. The days they had spent doing homework, to the time she first showed him the spell on the ceiling.

In one memory, Draco had been holding her again as she cried about Ron and Lavender's relationship. In another, Draco was angry, marching around the room breaking anything he could get his hands on, scaring the witch that watched his outrage. Once the storm had passed she pulled him into her arms and comforted him as he calmed down and soon diminished into tears.

They played wizard games like chess, Exploding Snap, Poker, and gobstones. Hermione turned Draco on to many muggle games too such as Go Fish, tic-tac-toe, hangman, and red hands.

Watching the relationship grow was nostalgic for the witch, her teenage self seemed quite happy as she giggled along with the Slytherin.

One scene sent a bright smile to her face as she watched Draco hold his palms above hers for the game red hands. She was supposed to try and hit his, but as his hands lowered, touching hers, the witch didn't continue the game and just sat there staring up at him. He bent forward and kissed her forehead as he did often and her face turned bright red. Soon, however, they disappeared like dust into another memory.

"You're going soft," Hermione teased, poking the blond's chest. "Even the other Slytherins noticed that you didn't insult Harry and me today as we passed you in the corridors." Draco grabbed her finger as she poked him again causing her to gasp then giggle. In this memory he looked famished, sunken face, eyes blacker than coal, even his smile was weak.

"I didn't really notice you guys. I was busy thinking about other stuff." The wizard's voice was distant as if he were thinking about it again. "Things are getting worse." He whispered. Hermione's smile vanished as she stared at him. The boy still held her finger and he now looked down at it, releasing his grip, letting his fingers move closer to grab her full hand. His thumb rubbed her palm gently as he gloomily stared at it.

"You know, I could help you." She murmured back. "The Order…" He shook his head and pulled his hand away. "Why?" She whined. "It's not like they wouldn't accept you! You're just a boy! Voldemort can't do this to you!"

"Voldemort didn't care that Harry was a baby when he tried to kill him. I don't think he'll care that he's throwing a teenager on the front lines of his battlefield Hermione!" He growled. "You can't help me! My father has dug my grave and I allowed it! There is nothing you, the Order, or anyone else can do about it!" As he looked up at the brunette he saw tears in her eyes. One escaped and he caught it before it could reach her jaw. "Hermione, don't cry." His voice was hushed again, all hostility gone.

"There has to be something." He shook his head again. "Stop that! Why are you giving up so easily?" She hissed.

"If I don't do this task he assigned me, I _will_ die! I have already been promised that!" She sighed and looked down at her hands. "Let's play another game. I don't really want to talk about this anymore." He said. She nodded slightly but still kept her gaze on her palms. Draco pulled her toward him and buried his face in her hair. His lips were just above her ear and his breath was sending shivers through her body. "Thank you for trying." His ragged voice whispered in her ear, hot breath on her skin. "You can't save everyone 'Mione."

"I can try." She mumbled back and then the scene dissolved into black swirls.

Hermione's head spun as she felt herself move on to another part. Her feet solidified and she found herself once again in the Room of Requirement.

They were practicing his Patronus charm.

"Alright, try it one more time." She whispered standing behind him as he held his wand in his hand. "3…2…1"

"Expecto Patronum!" Draco shouted pointed at the empty space inside the Room of Requirement. A silver strand of magic shot out of his wand and formed into a wolf that glided through the room, dancing along the walls and antiques that were scattered around them. "Wow." He whispered to himself as he watched the animal gracefully move then disappear.

"A wolf, that's a nice one." Hermione complimented with a smile on her face looking at him. "I expected a ferret."

"What's yours?" He asked turning to her with a sneer, "A sloth?"

"No!" She crossed her arms angrily and pursed her lips. Draco let out a chuckle before he put his wand in his pocket. "For your information it's an otter. Otters are a representation of care, creativity, wisdom, health, and curiosity. I think people's patronuses say a lot about them."

"What's a wolf?" Draco asked with sarcasm dripping from his words causing the witch to purse her lips again and roll her eyes. "Oh come on Hermione. I'm just teasing you." He walked toward her and put his arm on her shoulder.

At that moment, Blaise Zabini walked into the room to see the two in very close proximity of each other. He cleared his throat, making Hermione jump back and look at the owner of the sound.

"Blaise," she put her hand to her chest as if to relax her heart. "What are you doing here?"

"Draco's father would like to see him. He's in Snape's office waiting impatiently. Snape couldn't find you but I knew where you were." Draco tensed at the other wizard's words.

"I'll be right out." He said through clenched teeth. Blaise nodded his head and walked out of the room. "Hermione, lately things have been feeling strained at the Death Eater meetings. Voldemort seems to trust me less and less." He sighed and moved back toward her. "I don't know what my father wants, but I trust it isn't good." She nodded her head understanding. "If something happens I'll tell you, I won't just cut off contact." He leaned forward and kissed the top of her head. Hermione pressed her lips to his cheek after he had pulled away. Draco, with warm cheeks, walked toward the exit of the room.

"Royalty, Strength, and Intelligence," Hermione murmured causing Draco to stop walking.

"What?" he asked turning to look at her.

"You asked what a wolf's traits were," she replied with a slight smile. The corner of Draco's mouth lifted into a crooked grin.

"I quite like that." He said with a wink before leaving the room. He met Blaise outside where they walked toward Snape's office. Blaise had a knowing grin on his face.

"You've got it bad." The dark skinned Slytherin whispered. Draco rolled his eyes and continued walking. "Are you willing to risk your life for that?" Blaise asked.

"Yes." The blond said without hesitation. "I would do anything for _that_." He said, emphasizing the last word with sarcasm. "Granger has shown me that I have a chance, I'm willing to do anything for her and prove to myself that she's right."

"Do you think we'll make it out of this alive?" Blaise questioned as they neared the office.

"I hope so," Draco replied pushing the door open to see his father and Professor Snape standing inside. Lucius Malfoy looked disheveled, his platinum blond hair frizzed in several directions, deep bags under his silvery eyes, and hard wrinkles making him look older than he was. "Father," Draco said harshly as he made his way toward the men.

"Draco, where have you been?" Lucius Malfoy's voice boomed with power.

"I was in the library." Draco lied well. Snape's eyes narrowed as he looked at the young Malfoy before him.

"I checked the library." The black haired professor questioned in his normal drawl.

"Restricted section," Draco replied with a tone that implied he was done with this conversation. Snape looked over at Lucius as the elder Malfoy cleared his throat.

"Voldemort has called a meeting." Lucius finally said. Draco pulled up his sleeve to look down at the mark. The color was darker and it twitched slightly. Returning his sleeve, he sighed and apparated himself to Malfoy Manor.

Hermione vanished with the young blond as they arrived in his manor. Everyone was sitting around the grand dining room table. It held every Death Eater comfortably while Voldemort sat at the head with his large snake, Nagini.

Draco sat down next to Blaise and his father and noticed a new face in the group. Pansy Parkinson sat across from Draco. The corner of her mouth curved up and she winked at the boy. He rolled his eyes and moved his gaze toward the Dark Lord.

Hermione stood at the other end of the dining room so she had a perfect view of everyone. She stepped back slightly, however, when Voldemort rose in his seat.

"Friends, I fear we have a traitor among us." Voldemort hissed as he looked around at the Death Eaters. Hermione's eyes immediately landed on Snape, but he looked calm and collected. "Mr. Parkinson has informed me, that his dear daughter has seen one of our own fraternizing with a _mudblood._" Draco's hands tensed in his lap but he maintained a straight face. His eyes flickered to Pansy who still had a smirk on her face. "Not just any mudblood, but Harry Potter's." Now the evil wizard's gaze moved to Draco. "Draco Malfoy, what shall stop me from murdering you right now for your treachery."

"My Lord," Draco said calmly with his hands still fisted on his legs. "I have been gaining information about the Order from her. The mu—muggle-born trusts me and she has proven to be quite useful for me." Hermione's heart dropped at the memory before her. "After gaining her trust, my Lord, she has begun sharing with me her concerns about the Order. Their weaknesses, their problems, in turn it has been assisting me with my task." Voldemort stared at Draco for a few moments as if deciphering what the boy was saying.

"Lucius," the Dark Lord finally said turning to the elder Malfoy. "Please, go and get me a necklace from your wife's collection." Lucius sat there for a moment confused by what he was asking, but stood finally and left the dining room. "Draco, I appreciate the dedication to your task, it proves you are a loyal asset." Hermione looked over at Draco and he didn't seem to accept Voldemort's weak compliment. Instead his gaze was on the table and his eyes were shielded by his hair. "However," Voldemort started as Lucius made his way back in with an extravagant necklace. Turquoise stones filled the designs in the silver chain, Hermione recognized the necklace immediately and she held her breath. "I feel that we need to take your friendship with this mudblood one step further." He took the necklace from Lucius and placed it on the table. Waving his wand and whispering a few spells that no one had heard before, the necklace glowed for a second before returning to its normal color. He waved his wand once more causing the necklace to be encased in a gift box with a bow and a tag that read "Hermione." "You will kill the mudblood." Draco looked up at him, his eyes now revealing his fear. "This will leave a message to Harry Potter and any blood traitor, they will be destroyed." Blaise's hands were now in fists as he stared at the box on the table. Pansy was grinning ear to ear now as she stared up at the pale wizard. "I want her dead, and then you will continue with your task." Draco nodded his head as Voldemort moved the package toward him. "Give her the necklace, I put a spell on it and when a muggle-born touches it, they die."

"As you wish, my Lord," the young blond said picking up the box. He played with the tag flicking it with his index finger, staring at the name of the victim.

The meeting was adjourned and Draco, Blaise, Pansy, and Snape disapparated back to Hogwarts. Draco stayed in Snape's office while his classmates made their way out. Snape looked at the boy curiously as he sat at his desk.

"You need to help me." Draco begged. "I can't kill her."

"I don't need to do anything," Snape replied. Draco slammed the box down on the table.

"I _can't_ kill her Snape." His eyes were filled with tears as he stared at his teacher and godfather.

"Don't tell me, a Malfoy has started caring for a mudblood." Draco sighed and nodded. "Take it from me, let her die. It's better." This time the blond shook his head.

"I would die before I let her get hurt because of me. She is the only thing I can think of! I lied to Voldemort. I wasn't trying to get information from her. I became her friend and she became _mine_!" He shouted. "I can't get her out of my head and the idea of her dying because of me…" the boy sighed. "I can't let her die." Snape stared at him, his eyes scanning the blond's face. "Please, what if it were you." The professor closed his eyes for a moment and sighed.

"Fine, I will help you with your mudblood problem." He hissed and stood up. Opening the box, Snape pulled out his wand and waved it muttering a few spells. It didn't seem to do anything though. "I cannot remove the curse but I can change it." He waved his wand again, this time the necklace lit up a blue color. "Don't _touch _it!" Snape growled, returning the lid. "I could only reverse the curse, and if any pureblood touches it, they'll die." Draco nodded and took the box. "When she touches it, it will zap her. If she uses the paper it should not do anything." Snape sat back in his chair and laced his fingers together. "Do not give it to her directly." With one last nod, Draco walked toward the door but stopped as Snape had cleared his throat. "Draco, cut off connection with her. Further interaction will only hurt you when she ends up with someone else in the future." He sighed, "And we don't want Ms. Parkinson to have an excuse to be the rat she is."

The air and ground left Hermione as Snape's words filled her head. She understood what he was talking about as Harry had explained to her after the war that Snape was in love with Harry's mother Lily and that was why he had betrayed Voldemort in the end.

Hermione was returned to the Room of Requirement where she and Draco stood staring at each other.

"Hermione, I can't explain what's going on," Draco said furiously staring at her as they stood in the room together one last time. "We can't meet anymore." Hermione's eyebrows furrowed not even attempting to hide her disappointment. "Is it Voldemort?" She asked, "Or your father?" Draco didn't answer and grabbed her shoulders pulling her toward him.

"I can't tell you. I want to so badly but I can't." He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face into her hair. "I promise that whatever happens in this war I will never intentionally hurt you." His tone was grave. "You have to stay away from me. No matter what happens, how curious you get, you must stay away from me Hermione." She pulled back to stare at him. The fear in Draco's storming eyes was apparent.

"Okay," she murmured and kissed his cheek. A barely noticeable smirk touched his face and he leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead, then her nose, and hovered just above her mouth. Her face burned red as she took in a breath.

He pulled back from the brunette and moved toward the door but stopped as his hand touched the knob.

"Thank you, Hermione." He said repeating the words that she had first uttered that fateful day in the spare classroom. He quickly made his way out of the room.

He walked toward the library with determination. Watching him pull down many books and begin flipping through them, Hermione couldn't help but giggle, wondering if Draco had ever done this before. The blond continued to look through the books for quite some time, muttering things and marking pages.

He frightened Hermione when he jumped up with a hiss. She looked over his shoulder to see a page about the elder wand and how to defeat it in a battle. He quietly read the passage aloud.

_"__The elder wand's power can be passed through wands and does not hold itself to one specific object. Its allegiance can be crossed over when the bearer wins a duel against the elder wand."_ Draco repeated the passage many times to himself as if trying to decipher it. He snapped the book shut and returned all the tomes back to where he found them. Hermione could see the look on his face. The gears in his mind were turning.

He made his way back to the Room of Requirement. Hermione had left by then. The Slytherin walked toward the large, magical wardrobe hidden within. Hermione had seen Draco testing with something similar at Knockturn Alley. He sighed and left the room quickly.

The scene changed and they were standing in the cold along the path toward Hogsmeade. Draco was carrying the package that held the necklace and was making his way to Katie Bell.

"Bell!" He hissed as he strode up to her. Katie turned around to look at Draco and immediately her eyes narrowed.

"Malfoy, what do you want?" she growled.

"Granger is tutoring you later tonight, right?" Katie nodded, cocking an eyebrow in curiosity. "Well, Bell, could you give this to her when you see her?" He handed her the package. "Don't open it," he snarled, "could you also tell her to touch only the paper. It's _quite_ valuable." Katie nodded, taking the box. Draco walked away without thanking her, leaving Katie standing there with her mouth hanging open.

Now, he was sitting with Blaise in the Slytherin Common room when a first year Slytherin ran in and looked over at Draco.

"Katie Bell is in the infirmary. She's saying you tried to kill her!" The boy screamed. Draco stood up immediately, Blaise alongside him. They rushed out of the dungeons and up toward the Great Hall. Hermione, Harry, and Ron were standing across from him on the other side of the row.

Their eyes were narrowed in glares, causing the Slytherin to immediately step back and flee back out the grand doors. He ran toward Myrtle's bathroom. Loosening his tie and pulling off his jumper, Draco began to sob. Tears ran down his face and into the sink as he clenched it with every ounce of strength he had. His eyes rose to the mirror when he noticed someone standing within it. Whirling around, he growled and pointed his wand.

It was then that Hermione had seen the truth. Standing as a third party, staring at Draco point his wand in the direction of her past self she saw it. The tip was pointed at her her. It was at a slight angle at the wall. Her jaw dropped as she noticed the miniscule detail. He wasn't trying to hurt her.

Get out!" He hissed at her. Past Hermione shook her head and stepped forward. "I'm warning you Granger! Get the fuck out!"

"Draco, just tell me what's going on. You can trust me." He shook his head furiously as the tears continued to stream down his face. "Please, what's going on? Why did you try to kill me?"

"Get out!" He yelled again. She stepped forward once more but it was too close for Draco. "Impedimenta," he uttered the spell. Hermione jumped out of the way before she was hit. Lifting her wand she shouted a spell of her own and their battle began.

"Please Draco!" She shouted between curses but he wouldn't stop. Still, his wand was never pointed directly at her, sometimes at her feet, sometimes over her shoulder, but not to her. His spells were only ones to stun her, but nothing to harm Hermione.

"I told you to leave me alone!"

"You also told me you wouldn't hurt me!" She screamed and this stopped him dead in his tracks. He didn't move as Hermione shouted the curse to cause him to fall to the ground unconscious. Young Hermione rushed out of the bathroom in tears leaving Draco on the floor in his comatose state.

Draco opened his eyes when he felt Snape kicking him awake. He looked up at the black eyes and groaned.

"Get up Draco. Voldemort has requested your presence." The professor hissed. Draco picked himself up off the ground and apparated with his godfather to the Manor.

His father stood in the corner of the empty room, clearly shaken up by something. No other Death Eater was present.

"Draco," a hiss came next to him and he turned to look at the Dark Lord. "Come." Draco quickly made his way toward Voldemort and kneeled in front of him. "I have been informed that your task of murdering the mudblood has been failed." Draco nodded his head numbly, not staring at the dark wizard. "You shall be punished for your disloyalty." The curse was growled and Draco's body was filled with pain. He cried out falling to the ground. The Cruciatus Curse caused the tears from before to reappear and begin falling down his face as he sobbed. His body writhed from the torture Voldemort was inflicting on him.

Hermione stared at the sight with tears in her eyes. She knew it was a memory but she yearned to save the blond boy.

Once Voldemort released Draco of the curse, he growled for Snape to return him to Hogwarts. However, before the two apparated away Voldemort threatened Draco.

"If you do not go through with the task of killing Dumbledore, Draco, I will end your meaningless life." He hissed. Draco nodded.

"Yes, my Lord." He choked out hoarsely then apparated away.

Once the scene disappeared and returned, Hermione noticed Blaise and Draco were back to sitting in the Slytherin common room, however, this time, they were whispering to each other.

"How did it feel?"

"Bloody fantastic Blaise, like a fly through the park," Draco snapped. "I don't want to ever experience that curse again." Blaise nodded. "You know if Voldemort wins we'll be going through it a lot."

"How do we ensure he loses without getting ourselves killed?" Blaise asked shifting in his seat uncomfortably and glancing around the empty room.

"I have a plan, but it involves Scar head." Zabini made a disgusted face at the topic of Harry. "He needs the elder wand and I know how to give it to him." Blaise cocked an eyebrow, curiously. "It's not important how, but the important thing is, you need to get yourself packed."

"How are you going to get the Death Eaters here?" Blaise asked.

"There's a magical wardrobe that is connected to the one at Knockturn Alley. They'll be brought in through that and I'm to kill Dumbledore in the Astronomy tower." Blaise nodded. "When I kill Dumbledore you need to have your things packed and we will leave for Muggle London. Voldemort will never find us among what he hates so much."

"Bloody hell, D, what did we get ourselves into?" Draco sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"A war, B," he growled. "Now go pack." Blaise jumped up and made his way toward the Boy's dorm, leaving Draco, who now had his face pressed into his hands.

The scene vanished before Hermione's eyes and she was falling towards the Astronomy Tower of Hogwarts. Her feet landed easily on the metal floor and she stared at the sight before her. Draco had his wand pointed at Dumbledore, with Snape behind him and his aunt Bellatrix. He was crying, his hand shaking causing the direction of his wand to wobble all over the place.

"I have to do this," Draco cried. "He's going to kill me." The blond disarmed the Headmaster. Dumbledore was now wandless as he stared at the blond before him. The boy still shook, staring at the old wizard.

"Do it!" Bellatrix hissed in her nephew's ear. Behind her Fenrir Greyback scoffed.

"He doesn't have the stomach, like his father let me finish him in my own way." The werewolf growled.

"No!" Bellatrix shrieked. "The Dark Lord was clear the boy is to do it!"

"No," Snape echoed, moving closer.

"Severus," Dumbledore said hoarsely.

"Well, look who's here. Hogwarts own Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Come to see the Slaughter?" Bellatrix questioned cheerfully.

"Severus… please," the Headmaster whispered.

"I gave my word, I made a vow…" Snape said raising his wand to Dumbledore. Hermione, who had been standing in the corner, stepped away from the dangerous professor, her back landing against the metal fence. She turned her head to Dumbledore next to her but saw no fear in his eyes. "Avada Kedavra!" Snape shouted. The green string of the spell escaped his wand hitting Dumbledore squarely in the chest. The old wizard fell back over the railing falling down to the ground. Hermione stared at the spot he had just been standing mouth agape, tears running down her face. She glanced up to see Draco with a mirroring expression. "You can no longer stay here." Snape hissed at him pushing him through the door by his neck. He rushed away from the man's grasp down to the dungeons. Blaise was waiting there nervously. Quickly taking his bag from his mate, Draco led Blaise through the halls toward the Room of Requirement.

Opening the magical wardrobe, Blaise and Draco quickly escaped to Knockturn Alley where they immediately apparated to a safe point in Muggle London.

"Bloody hell mate." Blaise said panting from the running. "Do you think we're finally safe?" Draco shook his head.

"I have only one task left to do." Blaise stared at his friend curiously. "We need to find a way to send Potter my wand without Voldemort intercepting it." Blaise groaned.

"Oh is that all?" the dark skinned wizard hissed.

"Let's find a bloody place to stay and we'll handle it later." Draco growled back and started walking down the street.

The scene disappeared around Hermione and she couldn't help but be thankful for a moment of peace. Witnessing the death of Dumbledore was horrifying and she didn't blame Harry for the nightmares he sometimes experienced from the memories.

Her feet landed on plush carpet and she looked around the house. She had never been here before. Draco stood when a woman walked into the room with a small smile on her face.

"Please Draco, no need to get up. I'm fine." She smiled and made her way toward the chair next to Blaise's. Draco sat back down and stared at the woman before him. She had silky, light brown hair and a face that reminded her of Narcissa and Bellatrix. The witch was lovely, her features extravagant with dark grey eyes that pierced through. "Nymphadora told me Mr. Potter and his friends have returned from your house after being captured." Draco's clenched fists, released at the news. "I have told her of what your plan is, but I must warn you Draco. He does not know where your allegiance lies and you may be harmed." Draco nodded.

"I understand the risk, but it is an even bigger risk not to do this Aunt 'Dromeda." Hermione gasped as she looked at Narcissa and Bellatrix's sister, not to mention Tonk's mother. "I need to get there and duel Harry."

"Very well, I will have Nymphadora apparate here to take you to the location when she is ready." Draco smiled and leaned back in the chair.

"Thank you Aunt 'Dromeda, for taking Blaise and me in and helping me with this." The older witch smiled at her nephew and then at Blaise.

"You're family and though I have not been shown the kindness, family does not turn its back on family." The corner of Draco's mouth turned up as he smiled at his aunt.

The scene changed and Hermione was now staring at Harry and Draco glaring at each other.

"Why'd you return Malfoy?" Harry hissed. "Needed to prove yourself to your master again?"

"Just fight me like a wizard Potter!" Draco retorted. He raised his wand as if to attack Harry when the brown haired boy wordlessly and wandlessly disarmed him easily. The blond quickly jumped out of the way as Harry began firing spells at him using his own wand.

"Harry!" Someone cried out behind him. "He isn't worth your strength! He's disarmed now. Let him run like the coward he is." Draco looked up to see Hermione standing there with her wand raised as well. Harry ceased his fire and stared at the Slytherin with daggers.

Draco sighed and stood up.

"Good luck Potter," he murmured before apparating back to Andromeda's house.

Blaise was standing there waiting for him with a grin.

"So?"

"It's done. Harry won my wand in a duel and now he has what he needs to defeat the Dark Lord." Blaise sighed relieved.

"Who would have thought," Blaise said patting his mate on the back. Draco turned and gave him a questioning look. "We would have switched sides all because you started caring for a muggle-born." The blond snorted and shoved his friend's hand off of him.

"She's worth it." He whispered.

Hermione felt herself being pulled out toward the surface. Everything was grey and black around her as she flew up, causing her head to spin with everything that she had just witnessed, and she didn't know how to process it all. Her body crashed through the top and she felt herself return to Draco's library.

Lifting her head out of Draco's pensieve, Hermione gasped and staggered back. Harry was there to catch her before she fell. Her chest was heaving as she took deep breaths and began to take in the real world around her. She was back in the library, books filling her vision, and the smell of their age in her nose. Glancing over at Draco, she stared at him with her mouth open.

She took in the man, whose memories she had just invaded. He had been just a boy, experiencing the horrors that Voldemort had caused. Being forced to join a murderous group, forced to try and murder her, to try and murder Dumbledore, she was surprised he hadn't turned out mental.

"I-I need to go home." Hermione finally said. He stared back at her with wild and curious eyes. "I need to process all of this." He nodded his head.

"Will this take two weeks?" He asked sheepishly. She almost smiled at his question but instead shook her head. "Will you let me know when you're ready?"

"You'll be the first." She replied and moved out of Harry's grasp. Without another word, Hermione disapparated out of Draco's house to her own, where the first thing the witch did was take a shower to clear her mind.

After Hermione's shower, she made her way to the kitchen to eat as she hadn't eaten all day from stress of the pensieve. She was sitting at the table eating her spaghetti as she thought about the memories. Her mind raced scanning through everything. Barely eating any of her dinner, Hermione finally gave up that option and made her way to her room. Sleep would surely help the situation.

If only it had been that easy of course. Her mind wouldn't stop working. Draco hadn't killed her. He tried to save her. His wand wasn't pointed at her. It was pointed away from her. He had gone through so much and she hadn't even realized it. She had always considered Draco to have run away because he was on the losing side, not because he was trying to save his own life. He had figured out the secret of the elder wand sooner than Harry had and helped Harry obtain it. If not for Draco Malfoy, Voldemort may have won. No wonder Harry forgave him and trusted him. He had saved Harry's life.

Was it enough? Could she trust him though?

Hermione sighed and pulled her wand off her dresser and pointed it at the ceiling. Muttering the charm, the ceiling began to glow with stars, giving Hermione comfort. She smiled looking up at the stars just as she remembered.

It hit her then. She knew her answer for Draco and she knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep until she had gone to him.

Quickly, getting out of bed and grabbing her coat and wand, Hermione apparated to Draco's house, she made her way up to his bedroom where she pounded on his door furiously.

The door swung open and the blond glared down at her. His hair was disheveled and he wore only pajama bottoms. Hermione held back her blush. As soon as he realized who it was his face turned to shock.

"Granger?"

* * *

**Another cliffhanger. heh.  
I had this planned all along too. Sorry about this one. But you have to admit, cliffhangers make a story good because it leaves you wanting more. It's not like I'm not going to update either. I promise I will.  
Thanks for reading! I want to thank everyone for following/favouriting Say Something. It really means a lot that you guys seem to be enjoying it. Leave a review, give me ideas, tell me what you think, be gentle 3**

**Have a great day/afternoon/evening/night.**


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